Naruto: Sage Of Amaterasu
by gekkokage
Summary: In an inadvertent attempt to save Hinata, Naruto ends up using the Summoning Technique without a contract..The location to which they're summoned and what,or who, they meet there will forever alter the destinies of the shinobi nations..and them. New chapter update!
1. Meeting The Salamander

**(A/N): Hey there! It's Gekkokage, and I know you probably don't know me. Allow me to say that I don't own Naruto or whatever else I may use in this freakin' fic. I will, however, input definitions of jutsu or translations I think will be useful as I go. Yes, it's partially because I'm lazy, the other is because I'm being nice _and_ lazy! So, without further ado, I give You Naruto:Sage of Amaterasu! **

**Ch.1: Meeting the Salamander**

The sky was dim as rain began to pour down heavily on the village of Amegakure(Hidden in the rain). The grayish clouds gave a somber, draining sense of boredom as an 8 yr.-old boy with blond hair and oceanic eyes rode in a carriage with his "Jiji" Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Why's it so rainy here, huh, Jiji?"

"That's because it is the village hidden in the rain Naruto-kun, it's said that the land weeps all day long here."

"That's so sad, the land shouldn't cry for no reason. How do we make it better?"

Smiling, the elder said," Sorry, little one, there is no stopping it here."

Determination in his eyes, the boy said," Then, I'm gonna work extra hard in my shinobi training to one day become a powerful ninja and make the land stop its crying! Promise."

With an amused smirk, Sarutobi replied,"Well, that's a very nice thing to do Naruto. Maybe then, we can have a better treaty than what it is I have to come and make."

Minutes of quiet riding led to the carriage's stop as a shinobi with spiked, Silver hair appeared in the window saying," Don't worry Hokage-sama, we're at the gate right now."

"Good, carry on."

"Hai."

A little time later, and they were moving again. As they entered the city, the child gazed out through his window to see large structures with what looked to be spiked roofs. Children ran in the streets playing games, and dogs and other stray animals were seen hanging around near the trash.  
As they rode on, they passed an arena filled with people watching as two warriors fought against each other, Naruto was wide-eyed in amazement as he watched water fly and lightning arc from the attacks the two were sending out.

"Cool! Jiji, I think there are ninja fighting, can we go watch! I wanna go see the fight!"

Laughing, the old kage replied," Haha! All in good time Naruto-kun. We'll go see the fight after my meeting is complete, okay?"

Smiling, the boy yelled out," Yay! Arigato Jiji!"

"Your welcome."

The transportation stopped moving once again, as a shinobi came and opened the door to let the two passengers out. Looking around, Naruto watched as the fire shadow shook hands with several individuals, not a one looking his way. Untila man with blond hair and a scar, a breathing mask, a gray flak jacket and cloak said,"Well, what do we have here Sarutobi? A little guest taking a trip to a new country hmm?" Smiling, the old man answered," Exactly, he's just taking a trip here to see some other lands." Turning to the boy, he spoke," Naruto, this is Hanzo the Salamander. A legendary shinobi of the 2nd Great Shinobi War, he's as famous as I am if not more so." Staring, the boy said,"Really? He's a legendary ninja too! Awesome!" Laughing, the old shinobi looked down saying," Tell you what, why don't I take the boy here out of your hair, so as to quickly deal with these negotiations?" Gazing warily towards his old ally, he says," Naruto, be careful. Hanzo, look after the boy for me."

"Will Do."

As the three separated ways, Hanzo asked," So, little one, what would you like to do?"

He was surprised when then the child yelled," See the shinobi fights!"

His answer came out as," Very Well."

After several minutes of walking, the salamander had gotten to know his fellow blond quite well. He knew about the boy's childhood, his friends, and even his desire to be a powerful enough shinobi to "Make the land stop it's crying." He was awed by the boy's strong will and determination, so much so, that he suddenly spoke out saying," Naruto, if I offer to help you, would you do me a favor?"

The child replied," Of course! Whatever you'd need, I'd help Hanzo-ji!"

Smiling, the elder blond said,"Good, my wish is for you to fight me when you're strong enough. Call it training if you will."

Taking a pondering look, the boy answered with a nod of his head and a giant smile on his face,"Sure Hanzo-ji."

"Good, then stay here for a while, and watch the two shinobi fight. It'll be a good one."

After dividing his security force in half, Hanzo left Naruto to watch the duels and socialize with his guards.

-An Hour Later-

Hanzo came back to see the boy actually taking part of the action, yelling and cheering for certain shinobi. Smiling, the war vet called out to the child,"Naruto! Come here, with your hands out, and close your eyes."

Following the instructions, the boy ended up feeling a weight in his hands," You can open your eyes now."

Doing so, the boy gasped as he was holding a scroll.

"What is it?"

"A Ninjutsu scroll. I want you to put it inside your shirt, and not tell anybody about it till you've master at least 1 of the jutsu on it, and made copies of each jutsu and what it can do. Understand?"

"Hai!"

"Good boy, now, Ikuze(Come). Your ride awaits us."

Meeting with the hokage later, the child ended up riding back home with Hanzo thinking,' That boy has the potential to change the face of this world, I can't wait to see what it's like to fight that kind of power. Grow strong, Naruto, as strong as you possibly can.'

-_**Fin**_-

**(A/N): Hello! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It's been a looong time coming, and I really wanted to try and do it right ya'know? Give your feedback and tell me what you thought, it's imperitive to the story to do so! Lol Peace and Love, Don't Push and Shove.**


	2. A Child's Risky Gamble!

**(A/N):** Welcome back! This is your captain with another exciting chapter in the NSA storyline! In case you haven't grasped it yet, I am going to be doing a bit of...renovating with the Narutoverse time-line. If nothing else, I'll be taking advantage of certain time-frames that aren't fully explained by Kishimoto. But as with any good time-line, one change leads a series of them. So Please read, and tell me what ya think!

* * *

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

"'Handsigns'"

"Jutsu(translation)"

"Demonic Speech"

'Demonic Thought'

"Ethereal or differing Speech"

'Ethereal or differing thoughts'

* * *

**Ch.2: A Child's Risky Gamble!**

_~2 Month's Later~_

In the light of the crescent moon, a figure raced through the forest treetops, carrying a bundle inside a sack on his back. His gear was all black with gray portions of armor in various parts, yet the most distinguishing feature about him aside from his bright magenta eyes and wild sea-green hair, was his headband bearing the mark of Kumogakure; The Village Hidden in the Clouds. Pushing himself at top speed, the shinobi found himself out in a clearing, but, what halted him in his tracks was the site before him. A boy with blond hair and oceanic blue eyes stood in his path, arms crossed, and with a suspicious glare in his eye as he asked,"Oi, now what's a stranger like you doing out here so late?"

Scoffing, the Kumo nin replied,"I could ask you the same question of you gaki?"

"Training. Your excuse?"

"I'm goin' home." Then, without warning, the bright-eyed shinobi tossed a kunai at the boy. Reacting, the child jumped to the side, catching the projectile as his eyes narrowed darkly and he yelled out,"What the heck! You could've killed me!"

Chuckling, his opponent said,"Huh, you're pretty good gaki. What's your name?"

"Aren't you s'possed to give your name first if you wanna ask for that?"

"Hmm, why yes I am. Who'd a thunk it, I got a polite ninja in training before me! Well, the name's Dorobou Misato, kid. You?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Smirking, Me said,"Tell ya what Naruto, if come with me, I'll make sure that Kumogakure makes you into a great shinobi."

Pondering it for a moment, Naruto asks,"What's in the sack?"

"A souvenir from Konoha, you comin' or not?"

Smiling, the blond nodded,"Alright then, follow me."

Turning, the shinobi went to take off, yet before he could take one step for the treeline, he heard the whistle of a kunai. Dropping his burden, he dove out of the way of said projectile, but it punctured a hole in his bag so that when it landed the forearm and hand of a child could be seen.

"Kidnapping, wow, so that's how Kumo operates huh?"

"Damnit Gaki! Now, I've gotta kill you."

Vanishing in a blur of static, Naruto was left searching for the attacking nin with his mind in overdrive,'Front? Nope. Sides? Nope. Above? Nuh uh. That leaves!' Naruto jumped to his left to avoid a potentially fatal jutsu, just as a spear of lightning pierced where he was only seconds ago.'Holy Crap! What was that!'

"Raiton:Raibo no jutsu!" Appearing next to the staff, the kumo nin took hold of it and spun it around in a flurry of movement as he spoke,"Well, you got good instincts and a fast reaction time. You might just be shinobi material gaki! Ok, you know any jutsu?"

Receiving a nod from the child, he said," Then, I'll make you a deal. I'll let you use one against me. If it works, I'll let you live and let you keep the girl. How's that soundin', hmm?"

Thinking for a bit, Naruto asks," Wait. What's in it for you should it not work?"

A twisted smile came across Dorobou's features as he shifted his staff,"I thought that was pretty obvious kid...I get your life, and the girl's."

Frowning, Naruto conceded to the challenge,'Looks like I've got no other choice than to use that against him.' Gathering his chakra and spreading it through his body, the blond suddenly dashed for the girl as he made handsigns.

Cursing aloud, Me ran after the blond thinking,'No, I know those handsigns! There's no way that gaki has the chakra for that technique!'

'Ino, Inu, Tori, Saru, Ohitsuji' upon reaching the girl, he grabbed her with one hand as he called out,"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Right before Dorobou could reach him, the two children disappeared in an explosion of smoke.

"Argh! Damnit! That little brat!"

After several moments to breathe and calm down, the shinobi took off, hopping through the tree line after a while chuckling with the thought,'Who'd have thought that a child that small possesses such a high amount of chakra for a summon. Well, he beat me. I didn't see that coming at all-'

He never got the chance to complete his thought as he was suddenly hit in the stomach by a Hyuga Juken palm, killing him instantly. His killer landed a little ways from his body as he breathed out in a tone of bloody rage,"Yarou..If you did anything to my daughter, I swear, this will have been a much easier fate for you."

* * *

**_Fin_**

**(A/N):** Well! Hope it was alright. Feedback is the greatest tool of a writer, because it's a mirror of what others see in our styles and techniques. We use that image to continue to grow and shape or change our skill set to accommodate the reader. Well, that's how I work anyway...So, if you want a better written story, give me reviews on how I'm doing. haha One last thing, for those interested in the jutsu used by the Kumo nin, it's translated as Lightning Release:Lightning Staff Technique. Later people, and please...review!


	3. Gifts Of The Goddess

**(A/N):**Hey, I'm back with the third chappy of this story. I just want to say, that even though they may meet some 'important gods' these two aren't gonna end up goin' super saiyan 4 on all their opponents. They will take some time to learn and master the extensive abilities inherited from their individual "goddess" before using them, and even then only the more taijutsu-based skills will be used up until a certain point.

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

"'Handsigns'"

"Jutsu(translation)"

"Demonic Speech"

'Demonic Thought'

"_Ethereal or differing Speech_"

'_Ethereal or differing thoughts_'

* * *

** Ch.3: Gifts Of The Goddess**

* * *

'W-where am I?'

_Images began flashing through her mind like still photos in a film projector, rushing to fill in the gaps..._

_Being home._

_The Ambassador from Kumo._

_The Kidnapping._

_The Battle For Her Safety._

'Naruto'/ "Naruto"

"Ah, you're up. You mind tellin' me your name?"

"H-hinata. Hyuuga, Hinata. Are y-y-you Naruto?"

"That I am, nice ta meet ya, Hinata. Um, you can open your eyes, it's a bit dark but it's ok to look."

Doing so earned her a blush that could've beaten an apple as she came face to face with her rescuer. Sun-kissed tan skin, whiskered cheeks, golden blond hair, and...

Staring, she got lost in the oceanic blue orbs of the boy before her; she didn't even notice the first time he spoke until," Oi, you're staring."

Flushing red again, she apologized,"G-gomen! You were saying something?"

Shaking his head, he said," Yeah, that even though I don't know where we are exactly, I know that the summoning is bound to end us up in another dimension of some kind."

"Oh, okay then. That doesn't seem too bad, that's the justu you used to save me right?"

"Hai."

"Domo Arigatou, Naruto, for saving me."

"Don't mention it, I was just in the clearing you came into training at the time. Speaking of which, what caused you to get captured in the first place; I thought your family were all these really awesome taijutsu-users."

Hinata's mood instantly flipped 180 as she exclaimed," I was defeated! I was drugged first, otherwise, I'd have beaten him!"

"Or Ran."

"Why you-"

"I would've. Heck, back there I almost did."

She paused,"Naze?"

"He was far stronger than I am, the only reason we even got away was because of the Summon Technique and I'm not so sure that I even mastered that given our current state of affairs."

"Still, you did an amazing thing Naruto-kun! Being able to use jutsu in the first place is an amazing feat for one of our age. I'm learning my family's Jyuuken techniques, but I wanna be able to use other things, you know, surprise my enemies and all that. That's why I can't wait to start the academy soon, I'll learn everything that I need to become an outstanding legendary kunoichi, and then protect all those precious to me!"

Naruto smiled as he made his own proclamation," I wanna become strong enough to protect my friends! I want to be able to make the whole elemental nations recognize me as a great shinobi, and then I wanna be able to keep my promises, no matter what they are! So, I guess I'll be seeing you in the academy Hinata-chan."

"Hai, Naruto-kun."

That said, they found themselves standing before two giant, stone doors. Both held an orb in the center of it, one, a fiery range going from a raging scarlet to a dark black hue. The other entrance held a wide arrange of colors, extending from a calm oceanic blue, to a brilliant white display. As the two stood in admiration of the passageway before them, a heavy, ancient voice called aloud," Two souls enter, so shall they be tested. Chose your path, bind your soul, and let your heart relay your conviction and resolve." After biting small cuts into their hands, they walked forward and swiped their blood along the doors surface. Locking eyes both nodded, the thought shared wordlessly,'Good luck/ Stay safe.' Picking the doors already before them, Naruto chose the red door and Hinata had chosen the opposite blue one. Once they passed threw the thresholds, the doors began to close slowly before vanishing out of existence within the darkness.

* * *

Hinata walked through the corridor unafraid; the orb that'd been present on the door, now served to be her source of illumination, as it flew ahead of her, bathing the path in a sky blue aura. She traveled down until she came to an end, again, the went on ahead of her; only to reveal that she was at the entrance of a vast cavern.

"This place is amazing!"

The orb flew from the center of the room to completely above her, shower the entire area in an azure light. The bluenette gasped when she heard a soft female's voice say," I'm glad that you like it here." Searching around, the girl found the speaker in a most astounding position, rising out the apparent nothingness of the cave without even a ripple or sound.

"Who are You?"

Smiling, the woman said," Be at ease, Hyuuga Hinata, I am a friend. My name is Kuraokami, deity of the rain and snow."

The girl gazed in awe at the goddess; soft, violet eyes, a small nose hanging over full lips with purple colored lipstick, and a smooth face framed by icy blue hair. On her forehead was a fuchsia colored hexagonal gen that gleamed with a vibrant ethereal beauty. Her attire was interesting, as she wore a mid-thigh length white kimono with a royal blue lining that displayed her tall, hourglass figure. Blue, open-toed sandals with heels and white fingerless gloves with the kanji for Winter etched into metal plates on the backsides of her soft-looking clawed hands; to finish the look, she had several blue-shaded ribbons criss-crossing around her waist like loose belts.

The shy girl asked,"Eto...not to sound suspicious, but how do you know my name, and how is it that I'm able to communicate with you?" The deity giggled a bit before answering," Simple, you signed my contract just your friend did my fellow goddess. This binds us in such a way that information and energy can be shared freely between us without needing the ability to speak. However, that is only after you complete my test." After receiving a pulse thought from the goddess, the girl nodded in understanding before saying,"I'm ready. What is the task you will give to me?"

* * *

The blond strolled downed the hall warily , he moved slowly so as to read whatever texts were on the walls. The orb from his entryway had illuminated the hall with an garden rose colored light, but also stayed by his side as he read up until he too had reached an end.

"Nice, this is one giant area!"

He saw the light ahead of him form into a yin-yang of garden rose(actual color) and black/red(lightning) color. As the black side ascended above him to the top of the cavern, it's spectrum color changed, illuminating the whole area in a bloody red aura.

"Why, thank you, dear child."

Gazing around, he saw a woman slowly arising from out of nothing as flames flicked about her position.

"Who are you?"

The woman gained a warm look about her features as she said,"You do not have to be wary, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, for I am your ally. I am Amaterasu, goddess of the sun."

Blinking, Naruto asked,"Why did you call me Namikaze, and why does that name sound so familiar?"

The newly introduced goddess gained a sorrowful look in her eyes as she said,"I see, they did not tell you of your amazing lineage. Then, allow me to take that right, and explain the mysteries of your past."

* * *

_**(A/N):SPOILER ALERT! PARTS OF NARUTO'S PAST ARE DISCUSSED! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, SKIP TO THE NEXT PART NOW!**_

* * *

"So...you're telling me that my father was the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, and that he's the reason I have this...thing inside me that's got the village so hateful of my very existence? Hmm, thanks pop, way to screw me from the afterlife."

"NARUTO. Don't be that way. Your father sacrificed his life to save You, his lineage, as well as his people! That alone was enough, but he turned the power of the Kyuubi no Yoko into a device for your use, to use as you see fit. He was a great man, and an even more noteworthy father. Do you understand?"

After some thought, the blond responded with a sigh,"I guess, I mean I understand it fully, but I feel like with the way this village treats me it seems like it was all for naught. If this village had done something abnormally violent, I could've died or worse, the Kyuubi could've taken over had they ruined the seal and killed everyone!"

"Exactly, which is why I will aid you from now on. You will need to face the Kyuubi itself one day, for ultimate control, however you have many allies little one. In both your world and mine."

Thinking, the blond spoke aloud to ask,"Speaking of which, not be rude, but why are you helping me?"

Smiling, she went on to say,"Because, you are the holder of my contract dear boy. I could not leave you to fend for yourself when you are in need of my guidance,besides, you're too adorable to leave alone."

Blushing, the blond muttered out,"Thank you, Amaterasu-hime. Your help is definitely needed."

Getting a good look at the goddess, Naruto was amazed by what he saw. She had glowing Topaz colored eyes, a delicate yet angelic face, soft pink lips, and all framed by raven black hair with purple streaks throughout it. She had smooth, ivory skin covered by a crimson silk furisode with a flaming white wolf's paw on the front, yet the entire back was covered by a diagonally embroidered white, silver, and flame-like design of a lunging wolf with its tail pointed out. The top was slightly open so as to reveal a bit of cleavage, and overall, it was an extraordinary look that had Naruto without words in admiration. She winked, as she said teasingly,"Anything you like Naruto-kun?"

Catching himself, he roughly shook his head and said with a cough,"Eto..Hai..demo..."

Laughing lightly, the woman held out her hand,"Come Please, Naruto, your test awaits."

**+ Fin +**

**(A/N):** Well, that concludes the 3rd chapter of this story, hopefully you enjoy it as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it. If not, Oh well, your call! (^u^) On a side-note, I have a question...How many of you out there like the shy Hyuuga? How many would like to see a change? If I don't get enough from either side I'll do it on my own anyway, but I'm leaving the choice up to you guys for now. Come! Review! A giant penny for your thoughts! Sayonara.


	4. Let The Test Commence

**(A/N): Hello everyone! After Many favorites, and my apparently new-found freetime...I've decided to post this next chapter of NSA. Thank you all for your surprising amount of enjoyment in my story, I realize just how difficult it is writing without a beta. Anyway, I've kept you waiting long enough! On with the show!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**Ch.4: Let The Test Commence...**

Simultaneously, Naruto and Hinata stepped towards their individual goddess. They were surprised to walk on flames/water respectively, but looking again, they were even more surprised to see each other as if they were peering through glass. "Sugoi!(Cool!)"

Both looked and approached their goddess after a second of calming down upon seeing the other unharmed; once before them, they knelt down, speaking,"I, Naruto/Hinata, invoke the trial of my Goddess."

With a gleam in their eye, Okami and Amaterasu said in a powerful voice,_**"Very Well, Your test is...Complete."**_

Both children started,"Nani?(What?)"

In between laughs, the two answered," _You (haha) passed when (haha) you walked over (hahaha) your face(haha) is so(hahaha) hilarious!_"

The duo shouted,"That wasn't funny! I was serious!"

Suddenly, all humor was drawn from them as they said in all seriousness,"_Okay then, shall I inform you of your real test?_"

"Hai!"

"_You do know that, should you fail, you'll die._"

Receiving nods from both, the megami-ne(Goddesses) said harshly,"_ You are to take control of your initial element. Should you not be able to do so, it will take of you and destroy you. Do you feel ready now?_"

Without fear or pause, both children yelled out a quick"Hai!" and left the goodesses to say,"_Then, Let the testing Commence!_"

Suddenly, water began to envelop Hinata in an enormous sphere, she quickly took a breath of air and held it so as to not drown; outside, she appeared calm, yet inside, her mind was racing.'How do I control water? There's no way to do that!'

-With Naruto-

Flames surrounded the boy in a spiraling circle before erupting into a gigantic tornado of fire. Closing his eyes and mouth to shield from blindness or suffocation, the boy sat down so as to make himself as small as possible while trying to avoid the searing heat of the firestorm around him. 'What in Kami's name? How do I control fire? It's not like I can blow it all out! Besides, I can't-'

"_See._"

'Huh?'

After thinking about it for a bit, Naruto smirked,'Oh! To control the element, you've gotta be able to face your fear of it! So, if I'm gonna get out of this, I gotta open my eyes.'

After a pause, Naruto did just that...

-Hinata-

'Urgh! What do I do? I'm running out of air! Byakugan!'

Veins bulged around her eyes as she activated her familial dojutsu. Looking behind herself into the face of her proctor, she saw her mouth move a bit before curling into a smile.

"_Breathe._"

'That's it! Conquer the fear to conquer the element. Alright..'

Deactivating her eyes and inhaling; she found that she could, in fact, breathe.'Well, this is new.' As the elements receded, somehow, Hinata and Naruto ended up next to one another sitting before the goddesses.

"_Now that you've completed your tests, we can give you your contracts. I will say, you two have **quite** a bit to go over._" The two orbs from earlier came down(or up) to float before its individual master. Before Naruto was the red sphere, as Hinata sat near the blue. Taking a hold of them; both children saw flashes of information.

Their Element.

A series of foreign Martial Arts forms and Kata.

Jutsu, and other skills.

Then, lastly a seal.

As this occurred, two very different seals formed upon the bottom of their forearms as 3 dragon heads crossing one another formed on Hinata and a phoenix appeared on Naruto's.

Okami spoke saying,"_Your gifts are the ability to create,control, and manipulate **any **elemental derivative of flame or water; the Kata of our elements, two powerful techniques from our guardians, as well as our summoning contracts_."

Amaterasu then said,"_Now, while you won't be able to summon us directly, you will receive our blessing and the next best thing. Naruto, you shall receive my Yasakani no Magatama(The Jewel of Amaterasu), and I shall leave it's abilities up to you to figure out_."

Kuraokami then said to Hinata,"_You, my dear, shall receive the necklace of my sister Toyotama. It's properties, you too, shall unlock on your own_." then turning towards both she told them,"_You two will have to train hard to fully harness the level of mastery required for all these things. Yet, we are certain that you two will go quite far with these talents. So, be off, you shall return when the time comes_."

"Hai."

The two children departed, vanishing back into the real world with the skill of a ghost. Once they were gone , Okami turned to Amaterasu,"_Are you certain it was wise to the boy of his lineage? His father will not be happy to learn that after 12 years he still knew nothing_." She replied off-offhandedly,"_Of course, he will inherit much that was owed him, and that fool Sarutobi shall not hold the truth from him any longer_."

Gazing at her elder god, she questioned,"_Is this because of his father, or your anger towards that sad village?_"

"_**Both**_. _Ikuze, I must inform the others of our bonds_."

"_Hai._"

That said, both faded out of reality as they had come, sinking into the apparent nothingness.

** Fin **

**(A/N): Hopefully this chapter fits in to the standards of all you wonderful readers. If not, I apologize. I'm half sleep and dead tired from work. I've got one post on the poll about Hinata so far, and it's not for the shy ver. For those hoping it is, "Speak Now, Or Soon Forever Lose Your Piece." I'm goin' ta bed, once this writer's high wears off (or maybe it's the 5 hour Energy?). Peace! If I can push out another chappy before crashing...Well, you'll see it. lol Thanks for your support, and don't forget to review..even if it's anonymous. **

**P.S.- The tatoos will be displayed on my page...as soon as I figure out how to put them there, anybody wanna help, I'm accepting lol Thanks! **


	5. Movin' On Up

**(A/N):** Ahhh, 'ello good readers! Time for another update from your's truly as I am trying to get to at least double digits before College crashes another stockpile of assignments on me since I've got a free weekend til Sunday. So, Here we go!

* * *

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

"'Handsigns'"

"Jutsu(translation)"

"Demonic Speech"

'Demonic Thought'

"Ethereal or differing Speech"

'Ethereal or differing thoughts'

"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"

* * *

**Ch.5: Movin' On Up**

**~With Naruto & Hinata~**

The two found themselves back in the forest in a flash of flame and water. "So, what should we do?"

Naruto spoke saying,"We've gotta go talk to Jiji, there are things we need to discuss."

Looking his way, Hinata was astonished by the serious look on his face,'Why is he so serious, what did he and Amatersu-omikami talk about?'

Decidedly, upon opting to see the hoakge, a squad of ANBU appeared on the scene.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata, We have come with orders to bring you to the Hokage at once."

"Sugoi, let's go Hinata-chan!"

The girl was amazed at her friend's reaction to this,'Matte. Wasn't he just super serious about seeing the hoakge a second ago? Why the sudden change...' Realization hit her as she thought,'Could it be the jonin that are here inspired this? Is this an act?'

Walking in between the ANBU, they were shun-shined directly into his office. There they saw the old man in his high back chair, lighting up his pipe with a katon jutsu. As they appeared, he seemed to visibly relax, his shoulders falling a bit as he did so.

"Lord Kage, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, as you requested."

"Thank you. Naruto-kun, Hinata, it's wonderful to see you both again alive and well! What happened, how did you escape that Kumo shinobi, and where were you for this to have happened?"

Hinata spoke first saying,"I was in the Hyuga estate, when I was drugged and captured. I don't remember much except for sounds here and there, I do know that Naruto-kun was the one that saved me though."

Surprised, one shinobi asked,"If you were drugged, how'd you know he saved you?" Almost immediately, she replied,"Because during one moment I was awake, I heard the ambassador asking his name. Then, the fact that he stayed with me from then on till now also shows that."

Nodding, Sarutobi said,"That is rather impressive. However, how did you get away? The shinobi was of Jonin rank, and, he was found and killed by your father without either of you present."

That caught the two off-guard, as their surprise was emanating off of their faces. Naruto, recovering first, thought aloud,"So, that's why he wasn't there when we got back."

The hokage and others present, hearing this, all turned his way as he continued on to answer the elder's question."Might as well tell ya the whole thing while I'm at it.. I was out in the forest practicing my kunai aim and ninjutsu when the guy showed up-" He paused when the old man held up a hand and asked,"Sorry to interrupt, but, since when have you been practicing ninjutsu? In particular, without a-"

He paused as the blond pulled out a scroll and said,"This answer your question? I got it when we were in Ame, I was instructed not to tell you before I had learned at least one justu off of it."

"So, you telling me now means that you did?"

"Yep, I learned one so far."

"Then why haven't you told me about the scroll til now?"

"Because I learned the jutsu tonight, and I was told by Hanzo-ji not to show you or talk to you about it till after I got one down."

"May, I know the name of the jutsu you learned then?"

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

Sarutobi had a coughing fit at that, as he inhaled a large amount of smoke saying,"You(Cough) learned about the(cough ugh cough)Kuchiyose no jutsu?"

With a nod and a smile the boy said,"Yep! Dorobou gave the opportunity to use one jutsu against him, he said that if it worked, he'd let me and Hinata go free. So, I used that jutsu when I made a run for her to get us out of there when I remembered it being a teleportation technique."

One of the ANBU behind him said,"There's no way that a child, no older than 5-"

"I'm 8, you bonehead!"

"8, could've possibly done a jutsu that even some jonin can't do, and without a contract. It's just not possible, even if he is-" Getting a hard glare from his superior, he corrected his thought,"only...a...child with high reserves."

The hokage nodded his head, exhaling his smoke, he said,"That is rather simple seeing as how Jiraiya did that exact same thing in order to gain his toad contract. Naruto-kun, do you know what creature you bonded with?"

Getting a nod, the kage asked,"Can you demonstrate a summon for us then?"

"Of course!"

Turning his wrist over, the blond revealed a tattoo of a phoenix elaborated on his skin in a tribal form which drew enough attention that by the time he went for a kunai, the hokage stopped him by saying,"Naruto! It's alright, the fact that that tattoo is present is enough to verify your story. Could you tell me what kind of test the creature gave you?"

"That, I'd rather talk to you in private about Jiji."

Gazing at the group before him, Sarutobi said,"Alright, then, ANBU?"

"Hai."

"Please escort Hinata, and ensure that she returns home safely."

"Hai!"

Dispersing, the ANBU vanished with Hinata into wisps of smoke, and when they left the kage began,"So, feel free to share your ordeal Naruto-kun."

"Actually, Jiji, I've got serious things to talk to you about."

Curious, he asked," Like what?"

"Like why you lied to me about my parents."

* * *

Breaking out into a coughing fit, Hiruzen turned wide eyed to the boy as he asked,"Who told you?"

"_Me._"

Both paused as flames seemed to burst from the middle of the room, and from within them, the goddess appeared. Surprised, at her sudden appearance, both spoke at the same time."Amaterasu/hime! What are you doing here?" As Sarutobi began looking at Naruto in regards to the title he gave her, Amaterasu spoke,"_Leave the boy be, Hiruzen. I was the one who informed him of his Kage heritage, you, however have made a grave error in withholding that information from him. Though it was for his protection, you did nothing but hinder him from his power. That, you will be rectifying tonight, or else you will be paying for the sins of this village along with all the rest of those pitiful villagers in the afterlife._"

Swallowing hard, the old man cracked. He was known and revered as the God of Shinobi by many, even feared by them, yet even he was still a man. A man terrified of risking the wrath of the goddess before him, so, he complied by tossing Naruto the keys to his family's home and telling the boy that he will have his things moved to the estate within the week. This action seemed to satisfy the goddess, as she then promptly vanished in a swirl of flames.

Sweating slightly, and looking exhausted the old kage asked,"Naruto, how in the world did you meet Amaterasu-omikami?" With a fox-like grin on his face as he exited the room, Naruto answered,"Simple. When I summoned, I was sent to her. Konnbanwa, Jiji." Paling, the old man thought,'Does that mean he's actually been to heaven? No, that's just not possible. Yet, the goddess just appeared before me; vouching for him!' Leaning back into his chair, the hokage sighed,"Ugh, I'm getting way too for this."

* * *

**(A/N):** Hopefully you guys got to enjoy the results of Naruto and Hinata's little 'Visit' with the goddesses. This was primarily just to properly move into the better parts like...*Drum roll*...The Genin Exam and Scroll Mission! *Ooooooh, Aaaaaah* Now, I'll write ASAP for the next chappy, but if for some reason I stop, just know, College has again gotten to slave over the evil known to all as HOMEWORK. Wish there was a jutsu we could actually use in real time about now...Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!(Shadow Clone Technique!)...Nothin'...*Sigh*Oh Well, till next time people!


	6. Verification

**(A/N): Hey guys, new update to the NSA Series here. I hope this meets the standards of those reading, and I HAVE to give a readout to 'Brothers Bond' done by Aragon Potter. That story's 3rd chapter was quite possibly one of the best Naruto chapters I have ever read. Now, feel free to read it...AFTER this one! Lol **

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last Time On Naruto:Sage of Amaterasu...**

Sarutobi had a coughing fit at that, as he inhaled a large amount of smoke saying,"You(Cough) learned about the(cough ugh cough)Kuchiyose no jutsu and _used_ it?"

With a nod and a smile the boy said,"Yep! Dorobou gave the opportunity to use one jutsu against him, he said that if it worked, he'd let me and Hinata go free. So, I used that jutsu when I made a run for her to get us out of there when I remembered it being a teleportation technique."

Turning his wrist over, the blond revealed a tattoo of a phoenix elaborated on his skin in a tribal form which drew enough attention that by the time he went for a kunai, the hokage stopped him by saying,"Naruto! It's alright, the fact that that tattoo is present is enough to verify your story. Could you tell me what kind of test the creature gave you?"

"Actually, Jiji, I've got serious things to talk to you about."

Curious, he asked," Like what?"

"Like why you lied to me about my parents."

Both paused as flames seemed to burst from the middle of the room, and from within them, the goddess Amaterasu appeared. "_Hiruzen. I was the one who informed him of his Kage heritage, you, however have made a grave error in withholding that information from him. Though it was for his protection, you did nothing but hinder him from his power. **That**__**, you will be rectifying tonight,** or else you will be paying for the sins of this village along with all the rest of those pitiful villagers__ in the afterlife__."_"Naruto, how in the world did you meet Amaterasu ōmikami?" With a fox-like grin on his face as he exited the room, Naruto answered,"Simple. When I summoned, I was sent to her. Konnbanwa, Jiji."

**Ch.6: Verification**

As Naruto walked out of the Hokage's office, his mind was nothing but a blur,'I can't believe that! Amaterasu totally scared the heck out of Jiji and she was the one who told me to forgive him! And, how did she get there? That teleportation technique was awesome, I've really gotta learn how to do that!'

Exiting the building and going a ways, Naruto shouted,"Aww, man! I forgot to get a map to estate!"

"Why would you need to worry about going to the estates?"

Naruto jumped as he turned to see an ANBU shinobi standing off to his left, hidden under the shade of the trees. Replying, he said,"I'm on my way-why am I even telling you? Why are you here?"

"Because you have someone who is quite interested in hearing what happened to you and Hinata in the forest."

"Okay, do they live out near the noble estates?"

"Hai."

"Fine. Let's go."

Walking towards him, the ANBU revealed himself in the light of the evening to have had his eyes closed, and as he opened his eyes Naruto thought, 'So,a Hyuga member, this is gonna be fun.'

Grasping a hold of the boy, the shinobi vanished with the blond in tow.

-Elsewhere-

Naruto and the ANBU appeared in front of the front of the Hyuga Estate, and walking forward, they passed by the guards to enter into a open area with plants and a pond.

"Wow, looks like something out of a Zatoichi flick!"

When the ANBU looked at him, he responded,"What? Never seen the blind samurai movies? Poor guy."

As they continued on, they saw multiple areas of space; some hosting fights, some with those practicing kata or forms, and others having nothing but space present. The ANBU led Naruto to turn a corner, but as he went to follow, he bumped into a little girl. "Oi! Watch where you're going!" "Gomen!(I'm sorry!) It was an accident." Looking up, the girl said,"Who are you? What are you doing inside the Hyuga clan home? If you're here for my sister or me, I won't allow you anywhere near her blondie!"

The ANBU, having noticed the skirmish and allowed it to continue, then said,"Actually, Hanabi, he is here for that. He's the one who saved her."

Looking unimpressed she retorted,"Ha! This gaki! He doesn't look but a bit older than me! No way he did it."

Naruto, irritated with being talked about as if invisisble said,"Oi, I can here you. And, just so you know, I did actually save her. Hana-chibi!"

"Why you-"

Interrupting, the ANBU said,"Hanabi, he is a guest to the family. Please, be mindful of your manors and show more respect."

Grumbling about something under her breathe, she responded,"Hai...Arigatou..."

"Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Arigatou Uzumaki-san, for saving my sister."

"You're quite welcome...Hana-chibi."

Naruto followed the ANBU as he walked away, leaving Hanabi to steam at the jab to her height. As they went on, the ANBU said,"Uzumaki-san. You shouldn't provoke her so, it doesn't do well to make an enemy of little Hanabi, she tends to be quite vengeful." The blond then replied,"I'm just teasing her, she'll forget me in a couple of days and then move on, I know I will." Shaking his head, the ANBU responded,"We will see. Now, I will advise you to be on your best behavior in front of these people. Here we are."

Walking up to a large double sliding door, The ANBU opened it to say,"Uzumaki Naruto, present Lord Hiashi." Listening, Naruto heard a calm male's voice say,"Enter."

Doing just that, Naruto walked into the room, and was met with a few men sitting in a "U" on the floor and Hinata sitting in the middle of them with an empty floor pillow next to her. Walking over, Naruto took the spot next to Hinata and looked at the girl. Doing so, he noticed her eyes were glued to the floor, and that she seemed a bit red. Looking towards the man before him, he thought,'Is this her father, she seems really nervous right now. What happened to that happy, intense girl from our travel to the summons world? I wonder...'

"Uzumaki-san. We are here to discuss the events of earlier this evening, I would like to hear from your own mouth, what happened?"

"Hyuga-san, anything that Hinata-chan told you is most likely true."

"I am sure it is, however, I would like to hear it from your side so as to hear the whole truth."

'He doesn't trust her. I can see why she's so nervous, feels like this guy's stabbing me with a kunai.'

"I understand."

He then went on to detail every aspect of what happened, including meeting the goddesses, which surprised quite a few of those present; including Hinata and Hiashi(**though the latter hid it REALLY well**). He then went into explaining what gifts they'd received. When all was said and done, Hiashi looked his typical stoic self, as Naruto learned from watching the man; he then said after a moment of silence,"This is quite a bit of news, Uzumaki-san. I appreciate you for taking the time to recount what happened, but I also wanted to thank you for what you did in rescuing my daughter. That said, I would like to extend to you the opportunity of becoming an honorary Hyuga."

Naruto and the others present were shocked by the man's statement as he continued to say," This entitles you to free entry into the Hyuga Estate anytime, your own Hyuga clan attire, and the chance to study the Jyuken under one of our own. If you accept, you would be doing this clan a great honor, seeing as we've never really had any honorary members before."

The blond was outdone to say the least, as it took him a couple of seconds to form his composure enough to say,"T-thank you, Hiashi-san for the generous offer...However, I believe that this matter is in Hinata-chan's hands." Said girl turned to look at him as he said,"If she wishes for me to become a part of this clan, then, I will gladly accept."

Gazing at the blond, she then said,"Eto(Umm)...Yes, Naruto-kun. I also extend to you the offer to be apart of this clan."

"Then, Hai. I accept."

Hiashi then did something extremely uncharacteristic of himself, he smiled.

"Welcome to the clan, Uzumaki Hyuga Naruto."

Naruto, smiled before becoming serious a bit later saying,"Then, as a member of this clan, I believe I have something to share.."

Catching the attention of the Hyugas around him, one elder asked,"What is wrong child?"

"This is to be a secret to those outside this clan, but, being a member I feel that I can trust you all with this..."

Hiashi, sensing this to be something serious asked,"And what would that would be?"

"Namikaze."

Brow furrowing, the Hyuga head said,"Nani(What)?"

"My name. My full name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto; though, I guess now it's Namikze Uzumaki Hyuga Naruto."

**(A/N):Phew! That one was interesting chappy I had to do! I hope this was okay, I kinda thought this a bit of a filler if you will...I needed time to think up a fight scene for later. Heheheh *Lightning in the distance* Anyway *Clear sunny sky* I've come up with a beautiful plan to execute in the next one to two chapters. Just something to be on the lookout for lol ^^ Thank you to those who are reading and faving and the one who actually submitted his poll answer into me. ( KenJ You know who you are! ) **

**BREAKING NEWS: For Everybody else who doesn't like Hinata later on in the series...too bad, She is now officially coming out of her shell...So Too Bad if you didn't vote in time. **


	7. Beginning of Shinobi

**(A/N): Hey guys! It's Gekkokage again with another update to keep your fanfic diet healthy and full.**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**Walking up to a large double sliding door, The ANBU opened it to say,"Uzumaki Naruto, present Lord Hiashi." Listening, Naruto heard a calm male's voice say,"Enter."**_

_**"Uzumaki-san. We are here to discuss the events of earlier this evening, I would like to hear from your own mouth, what happened?"**_

_**"This is quite a bit of news, Uzumaki-san. I appreciate you for taking the time to recount what happened, but I also wanted to thank you for what you did in rescuing my daughter. That said, I would like to extend to you the opportunity of becoming an honorary Hyuga."**_

_**"Then, Hai. I accept."**_

_**Naruto, smiled before becoming serious a bit later saying,"Then, as a member of this clan, I believe I have something to share.."**_

_**"Namikaze."**_

_**Brow furrowing, the Hyuga head said,"Nani(What)?"**_

_**"My name. My full name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto; though, I guess now"**_

**CH.7 Beginning Of Shinobi**

Those that hadn't had their jaws hit the floor were wearing a countenance of complete shock and amazement. The blond who had incited this unusual display was sitting in a seiza position while scratching his head with a nervous laugh."Heheh, so, eto...now you know."

One elder, a hyuga with a gray streak in his ebony black hair exclaimed,"H-how can this be? There are no records of such to support this claim, are there?"

Replying, the blond said,"Actually, there is. Jiji gave me the keys to the place and access to a few of the funds, the only thing he didn't give me, was a map so I could find the place."

Hiashi, then nodded as he said,"Naruto, I worked with your father for many years. I knew of your connection."

Everyone was taken aback at the statement as Naruto asked,"Then, why-"

"Those of us that knew of your lineage were forbidden from discussing it without your prior knowledge; it was a law established by the Sandaime himself."

"I see. Then, why did no one do anything to help get me out of the orphanage or-"

"Again, we were prevented from doing so by the hokage so as to prevent favoritism of a clan over the love of the entire village. This too was made law."

Lowering his head, the bond thought,'So, Jiji did all of this to keep my own heritage from me? Why? It doesn't make any sense at all, I need to talk to Amaterasu-hime about this..' Upon raising his head, he placed a smile on and said,"Oh well, can't fix the past right?  
All that matters now is that I know who my parent's are and I have what I need to move forward."

Hinata, who had been watching the entire time, thought,'That's it! That's the face he makes whenever he's hiding something...I've seen that look before..' Her own mind flashing back to separate occasions where she'd seen the "mask" put up for display.'Come to think of  
it, he's used that face a lot since I've met him, and it's only been one night! Hmm, he's a lot like me..hiding his feelings behind a mask. I guess we are a lot alike.'

Standing up, Hiashi and the elders began filing out of the room as Hiashi said,"Now, if you can wait here with Hinata for a bit, I'll have a tailor come by and get you fitted for your outfit. Also, I'll send someone to escort you around the premise and then home whenever  
you're ready to leave. If you want, we can even start giving you your jyuken tutoring this evening before you go."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Naruto responded,"Thank you Hiashi-sama, for everything. I would like to participate in the events that you have planned, also, would it be alright if I did them with Hinata-chan?"

With a small smile, the head of the clan answered,"Of course not. You may use her as your guide through the Hyuga manor, as well as your jyuken partner, and your escort will just be another of the Hyuga clan."

Smiling, the blond said,"Arigatou."

Minutes after the elders had left, Naruto and Hinata were sitting together, just discussing things."So, you're father was the yondaime? That's amazing!"

"Yeah, once I get over the whole 'Sealing a demon' thing, it's not so bad. I do however, wonder what happened to my mother. Jiji said that there wasn't a body, and I'd hate to thing some pervert found her."

Hinata grimaced as she thought about it as well while saying,"Naru-kun, I'm sure that it'll all be cleared up as we continue with our lives. Maybe she's still alive out there somewhere."

"Yeah, but if she was, why didn't she take me with her? Was she too afraid of the Kyubi taking a hold of me? I mean, all these lies and omissions were just about my parents! What if Jiji knows a lot more than he's letting me in on?"

Looking sad, the Hyuga heiress said,"If that comes to be the case...you can always come to me Naru-kun. Always."

Looking towards his friend, he smiled a little as he responded,"Thanks, Hina-hime. A lot."

"Welcome."

Their conversation ended abruptly as the doors to the building were thrown open by a woman with straight, midnight colored hair. Her eyes were white with a tinge of green in them, and she wore a slightly altered Hyuga outfit than the norm. Her's was a creme colored kimono top with a black happi jacket over the top of it with designs of a butterfly imprinted throughout it. As she came upon Naruto, her eyes lit up with..something akin to pure joy.

"Well,well,well. Hello there little boy! I'm Hyuga Iyou, and I'll be your heheh honorary clothing designer!"

The two looked at each other, as the woman came closer and asked him to stand up. Obeying, he did just that, and had his clothes vanish off of him. In shock, the blond yelled,"Oi! What the hell are you doin' lady!" as Hinata blushed a brilliant shade of red and promptly fainted. The woman looked on saying," You're pretty well developed for a child...Hmm, I guess we'll have to make the pant size a bit bigger than I thought." That said, she went through several seals before calling out,"Pin Hasu no jutsu(Pin Lotus Technique)." Right before Naruto's eyes, dozens of fabrics bound themselves together and formed over his body. It turned out to be a form-fitting, half black and half white sleeveless silk kimono top with a pair of black ANBU styled pants.

Walking around him and inspecting her work, she sighed as she stepped back wiping tears from her eyes."That may have been my best time ever! And it looks sooo good on you too!" Confused by her actions after looking himself over, he said,"Thank you so much miss Iyou! This looks really amazing, and I like how it fits me. Um, but what did you do to my old clothes?"

She responded quickly with,"That hideous thing! I disintegrated its disgusting fabric the moment I laid my eyes on you. You should be thanking me."

"Aww man! Now what am I gonna wear outside of this! That was the only clothing I had and you just destroyed it!"

"Excuse me? Only? Oh no no no no no, we're going to be here for a while kiddo. Take those off, don't worry about the girl! If she sees you in your childish glory, she'll just pass out again. I did it on purpose, don't worry about it!"

Forcibly removing the boys clothing (After much struggle!) she proceeded to make a variety of outfits for him to suit just about every occasion, so much so that she left twice to get more cloth for him. Hinata, ironically, woke up on both time she was gone; seeing Naruto naked two more times, and passing out with a furious blush on her cheeks and a bit of blood running from her nose. Seeing this made the poor blond all the worried about his female friend.

-Hours later-

Naruto left the Hyuga manor with a scroll full of clothing items that could've rivaled Jiraiya's in sheer size alone. He skipped training for the evening, partially due to his fear over his friend's physical condition after see how much blood she lost. The ANBU memeber from earlier was the one to escort him to his new home, and as they walked, Naruto began talking to him. He found out that his name was Hyuga Seijitsu, and that his skills pertained to interrogation and torture, as his skill with chakra control was to the point where he could cut all chakra circulation after hitting a few points and completely cause someone to lose usage in the area he effected.

"That's so cool! Can you teach me how to do that!"

"I haven't ever taken on pupils before, and with my style of the jyuken, I don't know whether or not you could do it without the byakugan('evil eye' or white eye). I can teach you the forms and see what we can do about your chakra control, because that's what it's going to take in order to use this particular branch of the jyuken."

Stunned, the boy asked,"Does it have a name?"

"It does. It's called Ketatamashiiken.(Piercing Fist)."

"Sugoi!"

Laughing, Seijitsu said,"You know, you are indeed a strange one Naruto-kun. I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"Make you my apprentice."

"Yata!(Hurray?)"

As they approached the gate of the Namikaze estate, Naruto walked forward and looked at the giant wooden gate before him. He saw that it had a dragon's head on it with its tongue hanging out, and upon walking to it, the head actually spoke,"**Those of the noble house shall prove their ties. Those not of the house shall seal their fate. Mark your blood as that of the dragon, and enter through this holy gate.**" Naruto then bit his thumb to get it to bleed, only to notice that he healed as soon as the wound was made. Amazed, he tried it again, and got the exact same result. So, having Seijitsu poke his thumb with a kunai, and keep it there; the wound stayed open long enough for blood to come out and be sufficient for the blood seal that was needed to open the door.

As he wiped his blood on the tongue of the dragon, one of its eyes glowed red as the jaw shut. Thinking, Naruto took the key that he had, and put it into the eye with an audible click. Turning, he undid the door's locking system, and when he let go of the key; it was absorbed into the eye, and allowed the door to open with a loud creak. As the two gazed at the enormous amount of space within the location, it seemed to be its own section of Konoha wit hall the homes and buildings inside of it.

After a moment of silence, Seijitsu said in a low voice,"Well, welcome home Naruto."

In an equally quiet voice, the blond muttered,"Thanks."

"Do you need me to come in with you?"

"Umm, I think I'll be okay for tonight. Thank you though for the offer."

"Well then, do you plan to come to the Hyuga Manor tomorrow?"

"Hai. I'll come by tomorrow after I attend the academy, and then if you wanna; we can have practice here."

"Matte. Why here?"

"I'm sure that you're known for your style, but I don't really wanna be seen learning it there. Besides, what would happen if you had another Hyuga steal your style? Or, if you had to fight one in a tournament or something?"

The ANBU blinked for a second before saying,"Yes, I believe you're right on that. Well, then in that case, I guess we're better off training here."

"Yep! Oh, by the way, there's another Hyuga I plan to invite here after school tomorrow. She's my training partner, and, if it's okay with you-"

"I don't mind, she can come learn here as well."

Giving a wide grin, the child said,"Arigatou, Seijitsu-sensei!"

With a warm smile, the ANBU said,"You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

**# Fin #**

**(A/N): Hope that filled you up for now! I wanted to go over the definitions of the Hyuga names that I just seemingly pulled out of my rectum on a whim. These two Hyuga will sorta be like my main ones outside of the Canon characters; why being that I need Hyugas that I can trust Damnit! *Cough Cough* Anyway, Seijitsu means Faithful, and Iyou means Eccentric. I did their names in a way that would kinda justify the randomness of their appearing in this fic. Please, let me know if they made even a small impression. If not, I'll try something else. **

**Thank you all and much Love, **

_**G**_


	8. School Days

**(A/N): Well, I'm back! Hopefully this gives you guys a little something extra to read while I'm out workin'...Hopefully! ****Now, yes, I'm making some changes. The way that Kishimoto wrote this story just doesn't seem realistic to me. I mean think about it, you live in a town that was just assaulted by a giant demon, and you find out that SAME evening that it was sealed into an infant. Now, as that child grows up, are you telling me that you'd be satisfied with just overpricing"it's" groceries and giving it tacky clothing! Of course not! And, thinking that in the least makes you a very unrealistic person...That's not human nature. Now, not to say I support full out beating and tormenting the kid, but, it does offer a sense of reality to the limited spectrum of Kishimoto's T rated manga/anime series. Okay, enough of my rant, go on and skip down to read the next chap.**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**Hiashi, then nodded as he said,"Naruto, I worked with your father for many years. I knew of your connection.""Those of us that knew of your lineage were forbidden from discussing it without your prior knowledge; it was a law established by the Sandaime himself."**_

_**Lowering his head, the bond thought,'So, Jiji did all of this to keep my own heritage from me? Why? It doesn't make any sense at all, I need to talk to Amaterasu-hime about this..' **_

_**Looking sad, the Hyuga heiress said,"If that comes to be the case...you can always come to me Naru-kun. Always."**_

_**Looking towards his friend, he smiled a little as he responded,"Thanks, Hina-hime. A lot."**_

_**"That's so cool! Can you teach me how to do that!"**_

_**"I haven't ever taken on pupils before, and with my style of the jyuken."**_

_**"Does it have a name?"**_

_**"It does. It's called Ketatamashiiken.(Piercing Fist)."**_

_**Laughing, Seijitsu said,"You know, you are indeed a strange one Naruto-kun. I'll do it."**_

_**"Do what?"**_

_**"Make you my apprentice."**_

**CH.8 School Days**

In Konoha's ninja academy, a brown-haired shinobi with a scar across his face, and a pineapple hairstyle was doing his class attendance as he quiet down the majority of his loud and rowdy group.'Sheesh, I get the most promising class this school's every had, and they're all a bunch of spoiled brats!'

"Alright class! We're gonna start roll call, when I say your name, say here. We're gonna start with Shinji Kawasaki and Jun Goseki..."

"Here/Here!"

"Gin Kurohana and Fudo Jinsei..."

"Here/Here!"

Two figures raced across the rooftops of the town, headed in the direction of the school, landing in the yard, they ran inside the building with blinding speed.

"Kiba Inuzuka and Ino Yamanaka."

"Here" said an animalistic looking boy with a gray jacket on and a puppy in his jacket's opening. "Here!" said a blond-haired girl with a purple outfit with arm warmers and bright sky blue eyes without pupils.

"Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Here sensei!" replied a pink-haired jade eyed girl in a red Chinese dress. "Here." said a raven-haired boy with black eyes wearing a blue outfit with arm warmers in a cool, distant tone. At his reply, several girls swooned with hearts in their eyes as they fawned over the boy; two of these girls being Ino and Sakura.

"Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki Hyuga-"

The door was slung open as two bodies exploded in a swirl of water and flame. Facing opposite directions, and being back to back, the two children that appeared from the swirl of elements replied simultaneously,"Here sensei." The other students were silent as all this went one, after their response however, the class went wild with a rampage of comments.

"That was awesome!"

"S-Rank entrance!"

Some of the girls present in the room said aloud,"Who's that guy? I know, hey cutie!"

While others shouted,"Hey, look at the hottie! Man, she's gorgeous!"

Some even went so far as to do dog whistles, though this particular one was done by one person in particular.** (A/N:Free Cookie if you figure it out!)**

There were a few who were, less vocal, in the responses they gave. Two boys sitting together spoke amongst each other, one boy with red hair and munching on a bag of chips said,"Nice entrance." and the other, a boy with black hair in a pineapple style similar to the teacher muttered,"Mendokuse(Troublesome)." before laying his head on the desk.

There were fewer still, who didn't voice their opinion at all, but rather thought it. A boy with a sea green, high-collar jacket and sunglasses thought to himself,'Those two...they are quite strong.' Then, Sasuke, glanced at the two as they went to there seats and thought,'Hmm, they're both strong; especially that girl...She's got skills, I wonder..'

Hinata wore a satin light blue kimono top with sleeves and a pair of navy blue hakama pants with a white and green dragon arching across the back and stopping just above her heart. She also had solid blue fingerless gloves on her hands, and white tabi socks and a couple of geta(wooden shoes) on her feet. Around her neck was a pendant with a Chinese dragon laying horizontally across it, and her blue-black hair came to just a little beyond her shoulders in a bob cut, framing her face and the necklace perfectly.

Naruto, on the other hand, wore a silk white high-collar vest with red trimming and a hood worn down that revealed his arms and a pendant, which was a phoenix flying vertically with its wings outstretched. He had a fire bird crest on the back of the vest and a solid red pair of hakama pants. He had white fingerless gloves with red edges and short, spiky golden blond hair with bangs that cut a bit over his left eye.

In both their ears was an earring on opposite sides; Naruto's was an golden ember, and Hinata's was a silver snowflake. They walked and found their seats in the middle aisle, right by Shikamaru and Chouji, the two boys from earlier.

Upon sitting, the teacher said,"Thank you for the performance, remind me to call you next time I need a magic show."

Smirking, the blond boy said,"Sure, we're here all year round." and the girl followed in a sing-song voice,"But, it's gonna cost ya sen-sei."

Laughing at the teacher as he rolled his eyes, he continued on with his roll call and began the lesson. After a few hours of instruction, he dismissed class for recreation and lunch. **(A/N:Why can't shinobi just call it what it is...Recess!)**

Outside, the kids broke off into their own individual sects, however there were a few actually hanging around Naruto and Hinata when the teacher left. One kid asked the two,"Hey, how did you guys do that awesome flame water thingy?" at this they got a few "Yeah's" tossed into it as they put a finger to their mouths and said,"Sorry guys, we're not allowed to tell you until we graduate from the academy." That gained them a unanimous,"Ahh, man!" as a response.

Smiling, the two then got up and went to go outside, yet as they did so Sasuke called out,"Oi, Hyuga."

Both turned and answered,"Hai? Uchiha-san?"

"Not you blondie, the girl."

Smiling, the blond looked at the Uchiha as Hinata turned and continued walking. He said,"Next time, do try to remember her name. She won't respond if you don't call her by it." Then, he too exited as an angry Uchiha got up and followed after them, this drawing a crowd not too far behind.

-Outside-

As Naruto and Hinata found a tree to relax at, they heard a voice call out,"Hey! I was talking to you!"

Recognizing the voice, the both of them simply ignored him and continued to plot themselves at the base the tree right next to the other as Sasuke got even more upset and said,"Look, just because you two can show off in class doesn't mean you two can fight or even use jutsu yet. Heh, you two are probably just still trying to get the basics of molding chakra down, aren't you?"

To his, and the crowd's surprise, Hinata spoke up with her eyes closed,"yeah, we're _just_ getting the hang of chakra. But, ya know something, I love the _**Ame**_, don't you?" As if on cue, a cloud appeared and started to rain on Sasuke, as if it were a joke, Naruto said,"You know something Hinata, I do think it's pretty nice. However, ya gotta appreciate the _**Supa-ku**_ of Summer." With that, a large ember of flame lit on the tip of his forefinger and grew and shrunk accordingly. The crowd laughed at Sasuke as it stopped raining and he was left completely drenched, yet they awed at Naruto having fire on his hand and not burning. Soon after though, the Sasuke fan-girls came through to see their love interest soaking wet and furious. Sakura and Ino, being his apparent voice at the time yelled at the two,"What's wrong with you! How could you do that to Sasuke-kun?" Yet, the two shrugged innocently as Hinata said," What are you two talking about? I didn't see anything happen, did you Naruto-kun?" He replied with a smug smile,"Nope. I remember showing 'Sasuke-kun' here that I could actually use chakra, but this giant cloud came and drenched him. It was actually kinda funny."

When the bell rang, and everybody started to go back inside. Sasuke stood there before the two as his fan-club told him,"Come on Sasuke-kun, we'll deal with them later."

"No. I'll deal with them now!"

Charging the two as they got up, the dispersing crowd ran back like moths to a just lit flame, as some kids were shouting encouragement to the Uchiha. There were, however, those cheering for the Hyugas as they watched their attacker with a laxadaisical patience. The Uchiha ran towards Naruto, yet, when he was close enough he jumped at Hinata at the last second. Catching this, Naruto moved with a speed far beyond genin, and slung Sasuke down by the arm that he went to punch his friend with. This resulted in Sasuke hitting the ground hard with a 'pop' as he had dislocated his shoulder.

"Aarrgh!"

The raven-haired boy rolled and got up slowly, clutching his right arm as he stared in shock and rage at the Uzumaki. Naruto gazed at his opponent with a look that could've frozen Hell over if it were faced in the general direction. His eyes held an icy hue that trumped Sasuke's anger outright, and slowly, the honorary Hyuga said,"Listen and listen well Uchiha, if you _ever_, and I mean **_ever_** attempt to hurt my friend again. I'll do more than _just_ dislocate your shoulder next time."

That caught all the kids back as they had never heard someone threaten another in such a serious manor before. Standing up fully, he walked away saying,"Come on Hinata, we're late for class."

At their lead, the rest of the class dispersed as well, as the Sasuke fan-club came to help their idol, he was so in shock at the look he received from Naruto that he actually let the girls help him get to the nurses office as he thought,'Such anger in his eyes...I've never seen my own father that angry before...What in the world was that?'

When the class back in, Iruka saw that a few were missing and asked,"Where's the rest of the class? Recreation time is done."

One boy said,"They're probably out helping Sasuke to the nurse."

Alarmed, Iruka asked,"Nani! What happened?"

"Naruto beat up Sasuke!"

"That is a lie."

All eyes turned to Shino as he spoke up,"Sasuke was upset at being ignored by Hinata and Naruto and followed them outside, when they were relaxing he walked to them and haggled them about not being able to mold chakra. After demonstrating their control in various ways, Sasuke got drenched in water, and in a fit of rage; charged the two. Upon changing his course from Naruto to Hinata; Naruto, in an impressive display of speed, crossed in front of Hinata and grabbed Sasuke out of the air. Sasuke, not having his balance, fell and dislocated his own shoulder. That is what happened."

At that, everyone was quiet as Naruto said,"Thanks Shino."

The boy nodded saying,"That is merely a statement of the facts as they occurred sensei."

"Thank you Shino. Alright, everyone go take your seats. I'll deal with Sasuke later."

-A little while later-

There was a knock on the door as Sasuke entered, the nurse, upon seeing Naruto, gave a foul glare as the young Uchiha took his seat.

"Iruka may I have word."

"Certainly, class finish reading what's on the board and I'll be right back."

Stepping out of the room, and closing the door, the class picked up on the talking a bit. Some of the male students haggled the 'Great Uchiha' about attacking a 'helpless girl' and getting his butt handed to him. Some of the girls gossiped about what kind of guy tries to fight a girl, whether she pranked him or not. As the Uchiha walked to his seat, he tossed one glance at Hinata and Naruto, the latter looking back with cool indifference; and sat down in his seat as he stared out the window.

After a few minutes, Iruka said,"Naruto, you've been asked to stay after school in regards to this incident."

The class erupted in a cacophony of negative expressions as "Boos" were thrown, hollers were voiced out, and in the window Sasuke allowed a small smirk to develop on his face as through it all; Naruto just nodded and said,"Hai sensei."

The rest of the day flew by without incident, except for the Uchiha's chair somehow slipping from under him somehow as there was nothing but a tiny puddle of water in the area of his seat.

After school, as the rest of the class headed ot, Hinata stayed in the room with Naruto as Iruka said,"Hinata, you can leave. Naruto's going to be meeting with the principle."

Her answer was, I'm sorry, I can't. I can't go home without him, unless you wish for my father to come here and see what's taking his student so long to come to class?"

"Excuse me?"

"Naruto is an honorary member of the Hyuga, as you know, and as such he has to come to the compound for training with me. If I show up and he doesn't, my father will ask me what's wrong. And, personally, I'd rather say I was at school in an after school meeting with the principle and have them come and explain it to him rather than tell him I don't know."

Nodding his head nervously, Iruka said,"I get your point...Then come on, we'll wait outside as the principal talks with Naruto."

The blond, having been silent since his threat to the Uchiha, simply got up and went with the two.

-Office-

"Well, Uzumaki. It has come to my attention that you have had an altercation with the Uchiha, is that correct?"

"Hai."

"Then, is it true that you also engaged in combat with said Uchiha?"

"Hai."

"Is it also true, then, that you threatened the Uchiha?"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No, I did not threaten him."

"Oh? Then what do you call what you told him after you dislocated his shoulder?Hmm?"

"A promise."

"A promise!"

"Hai. A promise, nothing more."

"Then, listen here..._boy_. You may be established as a student of this academy...but should you _ever_ get into an altercation with the Uchiha,of any kind, I _promise **you**_ that I will have you removed. Is that clear?"

"..."

"Is that clear? Uzumaki Naruto!"

"...crystal."

"Good. Now, get out of my office."

Obliging, Naruto did, but as he opened the door, he asked,"Tell me something principal. Did you put Sasuke to the same standards as you just did me?"

Sneering, the principal said,"What? The demon brat wants to complain about standards, here's a standard for you; I shouldn't have even allowed a thing like you into my establishment! If it weren't for the Hokage's recommendation, I'd have tossed you out before the first bell had rung! Oh, and No I didn't put the Uchiha to the same standards as you...you're not even in the same classification as him or the other students! So, again, get out of my class before I suspend you from my premises!"

Obeying, Naruto closed the door as he said,"You get all that?"

Sitting silently, Iruka and Hinata were in shock about what exactly they had just heard, their ears still rang with the volume of his shouts. Mutely nodding, the both of them and Naruto walked out of the building and started to separate ways when Iruka turned to the two of them and said,"Naruto, I'm so sorry."

Turning with a smile on his countenance, the blond responded,"Don't worry about it sensei, I'm just not like everybody else. I understand, and accept that. It's not a big deal, really." Turning back and walking away with Hinata at his side, he said,"See ya tomorrow sensei!"

"No. Wait!"

Running and catching up to them, Iruka said,"Why I don't I take you guys to eat at a ramen restaurant nearby, I'll take the heat from Hiashi. That sound good?"

With a small smile, both said,"Yeah!"

Upon getting to the restaurant, there was a sign that said,'Ichiraku's Ramen.' Walking inside, the children order one miso and one beef ramen with Iruka ordering a vegetable ramen as well.

"Comin' Right up!"said a beautiful brunette girl named Ayame as she took care of their orders.

Minutes later, after having eaten their first bowl, Naruto's whole demeanor changed. Iruka ended paying for over 7 bowls of various ramen, not counting his and Hinata's one maybe two."Remind me to _**only**_ buy ramen for you when I've just gotten paid!"

This single action started a tradition that would last for the next four years as the three grew closer to one another.

** FIN **

**(A/N): Hello! Another down as I knock back the shot glass of creativity once again! I did this one kinda one the fly and I hope that it works out okay with the flow of the story so far. I also hope I gave it what I thought seemed to be a bit of realism in the perspective of things, seeing as his scores were shot and his behavior unchecked; or, checked too harshly. So, let me know what you think. I know this is a long chapter from me...I think it's my longest one for the story so far. ^^ That just means I gotta do it again! **


	9. School Days End

**(A/N): Hello! Got another one for you guys! Don't own Naruto or anything else 'borrowed' from other sources. **

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_Smiling, the two then got up and went to go outside, yet as they did so Sasuke called out,"Oi, Hyuga."_

_Both turned and answered,"Hai? Uchiha-san?"_

_"Not you blondie, the girl."_

_"Next time, do try to remember her name. She won't respond if you don't call her by it."_

_-Outside-_

_"Hey! I was talking to you!"_

_The bell rang, and everybody started to go back inside. Sasuke stood there before the two as his fan-club told him,"Come on Sasuke-kun, we'll deal with them later."_

_"No. I'll deal with them now!"_

_Naruto moved with a speed far beyond genin, and slung Sasuke down by the arm that he went to punch his friend with. This resulted in Sasuke hitting the ground hard with a 'pop' as he had dislocated his shoulder._

_"Aarrgh!"_

_"Listen and listen well Uchiha, if you ever, and I mean **ever** attempt to hurt my friend again. I'll do more than just dislocate your shoulder next time."_

_"Naruto, you've been asked to stay after school in regards to this incident."_

_"Then, listen here...boy. You may be established as a student of this academy...but should you ever get into an altercation with the Uchiha,of **any **kind, I promise **you** that I will have you removed. Is that clear?"_

_"...crystal."_

**CH.9 School Days End**

~4 years Later~

The sun shone brightly as Naruto sat on the porch of his home near a koi pond full of fish, as he polished the edge of a Katana. It had a double-edged golden blade, with a pitch black dragon and phoenix yin yang tsuba(guard), a blood groove near the base of the tsuba for drawing his own blood, and a brass circular tsuka(hilt) resembling a small ring where the tsuka typically is, with a white shark skin handle wrapped in black silk. It had white tassels on its hilt and had a series of kanji written upon the base of the blade. It had a solid black saya, with a trail of red tribal fire spiraling into a violet phoenix further down it. The same features were on the wakizashi on his right side.

He also had another sword laying on the wood flooring next to himself. It had the exact opposite design of the first **(A/N:Only telling differences. Otherwise it has the same kanji seals on it as Naruto's)**; in that its segmented reverse blade edge was a near white shade of silver, a double dragon yin yang on its brass tsuba, and black shark skin wrapped in white silk. The saya also was snow white, and had a sky blue tribal dragon on the length of the scabbard along with an elegant piece of blue metal that had a ripple-like design etched in it. Admiring the sheer craftsmanship of the blade with a small smile on his face, Naruto thought, 'Finally, it's done! Now, I can't wait to see how Hinata uses it. Today's the day of the Genin Exam..maybe now I can actually cut loose a bit.'

"Naruto-kun!"

Gazing towards the edge of his walkway as the bluenette, said while waving,"Ohayo."

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan."

Approaching the blond, she stood before him glancing at the sword in his hand."So, giving Shitsunen(Oblivion) a cleaning huh? "

Nodding, the blond simply said,"Hai."

"I still don't know why you gave it such a dark name."

"And, let's hope you never have to find out."

Observing the second blade at his side, Hinata gasped at the fine detailing while having a look of absolute fandom on her face. Noticing, the boy thought,'She hasn't even seen the blade yet, and she's already mentally fainting. Haha this is gonna be good!'

The girl slowly asked,"Eto...Naru-kun?"

Smirking, the boy said ,"Hai?"

"Who gave you that other sword?"

"Nobody, I made it myself."

The girl was astonished by the elegance of the blade, but verbalized a thought she had,"I thought you were only an apprentice? What style is it, Masamune or Muramasa?" the reply she got was,"Nope. I've been forging blades for a little while now; learned pretty quickly under Masamune and Muramasa-sensei, and it's a Masamune. Shitsunen is the only Muramasa I'd ever make."

"May I ask who this is for? It's stunning!"

"Yeah. You."

Then Naruto extended the entire weapon to Hinata, who, upon unsheathing the sword, swooned in anime fashion right then on the spot.'I...I'm in heaven!'

Coming back to the real world, she promptly asked,"What's its name?"

"You've gotta come up with it."

Starstruck, she thought,'Oh my goodness!' and said, "I know just the name for it...Gyousei(Morning Star). Come on! We have GOT to go to tell Yugao-sensei about this!"

Dragging the blond just as he put away his katana and placed it on his right hip. He sweat-dropped as he thought,'Something tells me this is gonna be...Troublesome.'

-Hokage's Office-

The hokage sat at his desk reading over documents that he had received earlier that morning as he sat facing the hokage monument. Sensing a presence in the room, the old man said,"Status report."

"Hai. The children aren't doing as well as planned, their skills are limited only to several ninjutsu, an academy based taijutsu that's weak at best, and they have extremely limited genjutsu experience. All other forms are omitted completely excluding a few kenjutsu practices in Iruka's class, to be honest sir, it's an embarrassment to our shinobi skills."

"I see. Arigatou. You're dismissed, you can continue to evaluate, your choice."

"Sir."

The shinobi then vanished in the blur of a shunshin. Looking out his window with a sigh, the old man closed his eyes as he said,"You got all that Jiraiya?" Jumping in from the window, a man with white hair, a kabuki-style wardrobe with a headdress with the kanji for oil on it, and a giant scroll on his back said,"Yeah, so what do you plan to do about it?"

Opening his eyes, the elderly kage said,"I plan to give them a crash course in _true_ shinobi skill. Their test is going to be changed from now on...Rest assured of that."

Raising a brow, the kabuki warrior asked,"What do you have in mind?"

Smirking, the god of shinobi said,"They're going to be fighting each other...and us."

The sennin was shocked at this statement, he questioned,'What is he thinking? He knows that wouldn't be fair to genins...Unless there were just that many of those obviously holding back.'

"So, you have anybody in mind for me to be going up against?"

Smirking, the kage said,"As a matter of fact, I do...ANBU!"

In a flash of shunshin, several shinobi appeared saying,"Hai Lord Hokage-sama."

"Send a message to the village that there is to be a shinobi tournament held out in the stadium at the end of the week. It is to be called, Konoha no Toppū Tōnamento(Flurry of the Leaves Tournament)."

"Hai!"

That said, they all disappeared in a wide range of shunshin in order to quickly pass the word.

"Well, this is certainly gonna be one hell of a spectacle if you and I are taking part in it."

"That's the plan. Every shinobi will come here to take part in the contest to show off what they know, and every genin will see what it takes to be true shinobi here in the village. Those that wish to continue to be a part will do so, those that don't will leave. Consider it my...weeding routine if you will."

"That's some real diabolical thinking you have...you know that sensei?"

"I'm not known as The Professor for nothing."

"Quite true. Well, I've got to go prepare. See you at the stadium."

Then, he vanished as well to go get set up. Rising, the hokage thought,'This is the best way I can see what strength you truly have...Naruto and Hinata. Let's see how far you've come in the last four years.'

-With Naruto and Hinata-

The two children had ran all the way to where they believed their "sensei" Yugao to be. On the more secluded part of town, yet still inside the shopping district, they came to an old two-story building with a board that read,'Tamashii no Tabi'(Soul Journey) on the front. Going inside, Naruto asked as they gazed at the deceptively enormous room,"Oi, Hinata-hime, you remember when we first came here?"

She laughed as she replied,"I remember when we first came here, haha we thought the room was a genjutsu and tried to dispel it!"

Naruto then called out,"Masamune-sensei! Oi, you here?" and had a distant voice respond,"In the back. Yugao's here too!"

Walking to the back, the two came into the blacksmith portion of the building; it held an enormous furnace and two giant tables, there were windows at various locations, so as to provide light to the smiths as they worked on their swords. Naruto smirked as he looked at the tables saying,"Good for any kind of blade, eh sensei?"

A man with blond-white hair down to his spine smiled in kind and answered,"That was the idea Naru-kun, so, what brings all you people into my humble shop this day? I was surprised to see Yugao stopping by so early."

Yugao, a woman with long wine red hair, and in an ANBU outfit equipped with a katana on her back spoke first,"I came here hoping to get my katana repaired, my last mission ended up giving it a scratch that I can't polish out."

The master smith said with a gleam in his eye,"Well, why don't you pull it out and let Naru do it for you! After all, he's been patching up swords a majority of his blacksmith's career here."

Huffing, the blond said,"Only because you made me you evil old man!" Laughing, Masamune replied,"Oh, please, it was for your own good. You actually were an excellent repairman, and to think it was only two years ago that you came into this shop begging me and Muramasa to instruct you on how to use a sword."

Yugao giggled a bit as she said,"I remember that too! The kid walked in here, saw all the swords, and dropped onto his knees and begged like I was the master smith! It was so adorable, I said yes even though I wasn't the master here."

Blushing a bit, the blonde said,"Thanks guys. You're a real big help."

Hinata spoke up at that time saying,"Yugao-sensei! Naruto actually made me a sword! Look!"

Handing the blade to Yugao, she inspected it, as did Masamune from where he stood. Handling the blade carefully, she said,"This is extraordinary! The color,the design, I can feel power emanating from this blade. It's the not the same power as that sword you made the first time Naruto, this one has a calmer, gentler feel to it. I love it!"

Taking a hold of it, Masamune held it for a sec before nodding and saying,"This blade is in true harmony Naruto...Excellent job. If I didn't know any better, I'd say your were gunnin' for my spot haha!"

"No, after Muramasa-sensei had me create one of his...I felt...I felt like I had to do _something_ to balance that out."

Frowning at seeing his student think about dark times again, the old sword maker said,"I understand, but, you did an excellent job with this sword here and you've mastered your own Muramasa. So, I'd say you did the old boy very proud Naruto. Now, don't you all have a Genin Exam to be taking part of today?"

"Hai."

"Oh, that reminds me! The hokage sent a message out today stating that everyone is to report to the stadium of the exams in a week's time for a tournament he's created for all the shinobi of the village. Even he and Jiraiya of the Sannin is partaking of this contest! I can't wait!"

Naruto smirked with a thought,'So, he's planning on testing Hinata and I hmm? This oughta be fun...'

Taking back her sword, Hinata smiled as she said,"Well, I just wanted to show you the sword and see if you'd like to go out to dinner later. But, with all the training we're now gonna have to do to be ready, I think we'll have to make a rain check."

Nodding, Yugao said,"Okay. I understand that one. We'll do it after, how about that!"

Running out of the shop, she said,"That's great! See you then!"

Once outside the shop, the two smirked before forming a handseal, and vanishing in a flurry of flames and water.

-Class-

The two entered the class the usual way, which Naruto disagreed saying, they should've reminded them of the first day they came.

However, Hinata then said,"No. We can't have Sasuke trying to get you into any more trouble by asking for the technique and you confronting him to say no. It may be the last day for us, but you can still be pulled before the tests get processed."

Walking into class, they walked up to see Sasuke in his typical window seat with a smug look on his face as he said,"Hey dobe, you gonna demonstrate your death clones to us again?"

Ignoring him, Naruto walked right by him as Hinata took a more..agile approach, simply leaping up to their usual seat. Today, however, before Naruto could get there, Kiba made a mad dash for the spot next to her, and actually sat next to her. He had a lustful look in his when he said,"Hey, Hinata-chan. You're looking great as usual, mind if I ask you out on a date?"

Rolling her eyes, she said,"Yes, Kiba, as a matter fact I do."

Naruto stood before Kiba with his arms folded over his chest as he said,"Move it mut, you're in my seat."

Kiba grinned as he said,"Ha! Looks like you're sitting elsewhere today Uzumaki!"

Hinata said,"Kiba, please get up. I'm not in the mood to be pestered by you for dates today."

Kiba said with a devious smile on his face,"Only if you give me a kiss!"

Leaning forward, Kiba got close to Hinata, who was a second away from drawing her blade to threaten Kiba, but then they both stopped as a metal edge seemed to materialize between them.

"Kiba, I don't have time for games, Hinata doesn't want to sit with you, my patience is wearing thin, and if you don't move in the next 3 seconds I am going to nuder you. Okay?"

Growling, the bestial boy obeyed the instructions of his blond classmate. As he passed, he whispered,"You don't stand up to Sasuke like that."

And Naruto responded in the same tone,"Stay out of it, I'll deal with him soon enough."

Pulling back his wakizashi and sheathing it, Naruto sat down just as his two senseis came through the door.

"Alright class, we're beginning your exam. You are to demonstrate a henge, a substitution, a bunshin(clone), and a jutsu of your choice for extra credit. Please get in line outside, we'll call you in one at a time."

**(A/N:Time frame like Canon except with Naruto excelling in everything but the clone; yes, I'm being a bit lazy...so sue me!)**

Naruto stood by Hinata as they were greeted by her father."Hello children, how'd you do?"

"We did great father, I came out as number 1 kunoichi!"

"I came as number two male, but I need to be going, there's something I think I need to take care of later. So, I'll see you both for later training, Lord Hiashi."

Nodding, the Hyuga elder watched his honorary member walk off a ways and sit by the swing. Only for him to see a teacher walk up to him, and talk for a second before the two walked off somewhere else. Now, before he could do anything, Hinata said,"Let him be father, he wouold have been number 1 had that sensei not ruined his clone jutsu. So, Naruto is handling this on his own and in his own way. The hokage will be made aware of what is going on whenever Naruto gets a chance to tell him. That's the message he told me, and now, I'm relaying it to you."

Brow furrowing, he nodded as he walked with his daughter home, his mind on the blond who he had started to see as family.

-Later-

Naruto and Mizuki were both in the shadows of the hokage office as the silver haired chunin said,"So, you ready Naruto? All you gotta do is-"

"Get in and out of the building with the secret scroll and all without being seen, I understand my role Mizuki-sensei. I'll meet you out in the forest whenever the alarm is sounded for the scroll being missing."

"Right, now, you must make sure not to be seen. If you are, the test is mute alright?"

"Hai."

"Then, get going."

Naruto moved inside the building with the grace of a cat as he scale up the wall into a window by the ground level. Mizuki watched as he thought,'Soon, the scroll of secrets will be mine! Once I have it, I'll learn a jutsu...or five from it as my payment, and then I''ll give it to Orochimaru-sensei for that ultimate power he told me about!'

-Later still, In Konoha forest-

Naruto had found a nice spot in the forest pretty deep, yet close to the town as he studied the scroll for useful jutsu for later on in the week.

"Hmm, I want something that I can really use."

Scrolling down from the top, Naruto read,'Kage Bunshin-Clone tech. that enables user to create clones that divide the chakra evenly amongst themselves and their clones. Also, any experience felt by clones is then absorbed by user upon dispelling of said clones. Warning: Due to mental backlash, this jutsu is advised to dispel only a certain amount to safely execute the technique. Also, it is not advised for those without at least jounin level reserves to use.'

"Okay, that's one..."

Going down a ways Naruto found another,'Karyudan no jutsu-User breathes out a dragon of flame. Strength of jutsu is dependent upon strength of user affinity with fire. Used in conjunction with the jutsu 'Doryu taiga' and 'Doryudan', user can execute a high level katon(fire release) while trapping or unbalancing his opponents.'

"Those sound promising! Let's see what else there is."

'Doryuheki-mid-level doton(earth release) that brings forth a wall of earth for defensive purposes. Warning:Enforcing it with a lot of chakra will strengthen the wall, but it is weak against lightning and wind jutsu. Use against them at own risk.'

"Well, can never go wrong with a defensive jutsu every once in awhile-what's this?"

Going down a ways, the blond read,'Uzumaki.' and looking below that was another section that read,'Naruto.'

Taking his blood once again, the boy worked it like a blood seal, and withdrew the scrolls from within it. Stashing them away into a sealing kanji inside his sword's saya(Scabbard).

Setting the scroll aside, and memorizing the handseals for the jutsu, Naruto spoke to himself,"Well, let's get to work on these jutsu."

-Hours Later-

Alarms went off in the distance as the security must've been notified of the missing scroll. Getting up from his nap, the blond rolled up the scroll and put his clothing back on that he had removed for training. As he did so he thought,'Man, that's one heck of a workout I did. I mastered all of 'em, thanks to a clone technique...of all the ironic things to happen to me.'

Iruka arrived moments later in a panic yelling,"Naruto! What in Kami's name are you doing with the scroll?"

"Learning a technique from the scroll so I could graduate like Mizuki-sensei said! I did it! I learned a jutsu from the scroll, and it was really helpful!"

Catching his implied meaning, Iruka turned as he heard the sound of flying metal and tackled Naruto saying,"Get down!"

Missing, the shuriken slammed into a tree and remained there after a second or two more of spinning."Huh, should've aimed lower. Oh well, can't _always_ get it on the first try right?"

Turning, the two looked up to see Mizuki standing on a tree limb above them. With a faked smile the chunin said,"Now, Naruto. Be a good kid and hand me the scroll."

"No thanks. I'm really not in the mood for dealing with you right now..._sensei_, so pardon me if I make this quick."

Mizuki jumped away as he glanced to see a second Naruto where he had been just a second ago.'Clone? Wait, then what's-'

Glancing down, Mizuki saw that Iruka was standing by the scroll with another Naruto. In his shock, he exclaimed,"Shadow Clones?"

Landing on another branch, another Naruto spoke from behind him saying,"Yep! Man, you're smart Mizuki-sensei. How do you do it!"

Grabbing his second shuriken, he cut down the clone nearest him and then threw the projectile through the smoke screen that the clone produced from dispelling. "Shinei!"

As the shuriken sped forward, the Naruto by Iruka drew it's wakizashi and said,"Iruka-sensei, get down!"

Doing as he was told, The scarred chunin watched his student held against the chainsaw-like weapon as sparks flew everywhere and he slid back just a little from the force of the blow. After the momentum died down a bit, Naruto righted himself as he swing the weapon of to the side saying,"Oi, Mizuki-sensei. How well of a fighter are without your oh so wonderful tools!"

Dropping down to the floor, Mizuki landed by his shuriken, and drawing it from the tree he stalked forward saying you think I'm no good as a shinobi! I'll show you how much better I am than you demon brat! Wanna know why everyone in the village hates you?"

Iruka shouted,"No, Mizuki that's forbidden!"

"It's okay Iruka-sensei. I know."

Both men paused,"What?"

Naruto stared straight at Mizuki as he said,"I know. I'm not an orphan...my father was Minato Namikaze; Yondaime of Konohagakure. He sealed, within me, the Nine-tailed Fox Kyubi no Yoko. I am hated because of his sacrifice, and I will protect this country in spite of it. Why? Because traitors like you make me sick!"

Mizuki growled as Naruto sheathed his wakizashi, and placed his hand on his nodachi saying,"You wanna know something Mizuki-sensei? There's a reason why I never draw this sword in any normal fight, do know why that is?"

"Why, you damned beast!"

"Simple, because this sword is a Muramasa blade."

The silver-haired chunin visibly flinched,"Y-you're lying! There's no way a demon like you could find such a rare weapon! No one would even sell you such a dark weapon for fear of you going on killing spree!"

"Normally, that would be true. However, you see, I've met Muramasa. I trained under him for two whole years in the art of the sword, and in the art of the forge. You see, this is no ordinary Muramasa. No,no this is one that I made from the very darkness within my heart! This is the blade that took Muramasa-sensei's life Mizuki! Do you know what they say about a Muramasa and its sheathe?"

Both men said it at the same time,"Never draw a Muramasa unless blood is to be spilled, and never sheathe a Muramasa without first drawing blood."

"Exactly, so guess what Mizuki?"

Holding the blade horizontally before his face, so the blade would cover his eyes, Naruto continued on to say,"You're the second person that will have the honor of tasting my blade. **Akai Shinkirou(****Red Mirage****)**."

Suddenly, the entire area was cover in red mist as everything seemed to fade from view. Naruto's voice echoed out from everywhere at once as he spoke,"_**Death is the least of your worries Mizuki...I'll tell you a little secret about my Muramasa versus the rest of them.**_"

Mizuki frantically looked around as he shouted out,"Show yourself you damn demon!"

**_Slick._**

Mizuki gasped as he looked down to see Naruto before him, head down, and sword in his gut."_**One of the special properties about my blade, is that it has the ability to take someone's very soul from their bodies and transfer all of their knowledge into me. You see, I've mastered Kenjutsu Fuin(Sword Technique Sealing)all because of that little trick. Now, you are going to pay for you treason Mizuki. You're going to pay with your life!**_"

Looking up, Naruto met the chunin's gaze with glowing golden orbs with slits in the pupil. The site of such a vicious eye along with the killing intent coming from both him and the weapon was enough for the traitor to promptly scream out as his soul was swallowed by the sword. When the mirage faded, Mizuki was still there with a sword in his abdomen, but his eyes were hollow and empty. Gazing upon his co-instructor, Iruka nervously asked,"N-Naruto, did you-"

"_**Treason is punishable by death. This is the law, if he did not pay, there would have been more dangerous crimes of the like caused by him. I saw into his mind Iruka, I've seen what he has planned to do from the very start. I know full well what his plans are, and everything he knows about one sannin named Orochiamaru.**_"

Pulling out his sword and slinging the blood off his blade, Naruto sheathed it and turned to Iruka with a grave expression on his face as his eyes were their natural oceanic blue by that point."We've got bigger problem than Mizuki's betrayal sensei...much bigger."

**(A/N): Hey! This felt really good to write...I think that you guys enjoyed it as well! If you did, ADD ME! If you've already done that, REVIEW! LOL This was an absolute beauty to write! ^^ Anyway, Hope you enjoyed it. And I'll update ASAP.**


	10. Trading Blows

**(A/N): Okay! Hey, guys...For starters, I wanna thank xeno96 for letting me know about a chapter repeat I had goin' on. It's people like you that get things for free in this world my friend! So let me know if you want in on my plans for later installments or anything involving the story! ^^ Now, for the rest of you:SHAME ON YOU! for not tellin' me there was a glitch like that in my story...I'd a fixed it! I DO listen to you guys sheesh...*Sighs and palms forehead* ANYWAYS..Here's your next well-made meal. ENJOY!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**'Finally, it's done! Now, I can't wait to see how Hinata uses it. Today's the day of the Genin Exam..maybe now I can actually cut loose a bit.'**_

_**"Ohayo, Hinata-chan."**_

_**"So, giving Shitsunen(Oblivion) a cleaning huh? "**_

_**Nodding, the blond simply said,"Hai."**_

_**"I still don't know why you gave it such a dark name."**_

_**"And, let's hope you never have to find out."**_

_**"Who gave you that other sword?"**_

_**"Nobody, I made it myself."**_

_**"May I ask who this is for? It's stunning!"**_

_**"Yeah. You."**_

_**"What's its name?"**_

_**"You've gotta come up with it."**_

_**"I know just the name for it...Gyousei(Morning Star)."**_

_**"Let him be fatherNaruto is handling this on his own and in his own way. The hokage will be made aware of what is going on whenever Naruto gets a chance to tell him."**_

_**"I understand my role Mizuki-sensei. I'll meet you out in the forest whenever the alarm is sounded for the scroll being missing."**_

_**-Later still, In Konoha forest-**_

_**"Wanna know why everyone in the village hates you?"**_

_**"It's okay Iruka-sensei. I know. I know. I'm not an orphan..."**_

_**"You wanna know something Mizuki-sensei? There's a reason why I never draw this sword in any normal fight, do know why that is?"**_

_**"Why, you damned beast!"**_

_**"Simple, because this sword is a Muramasa blade."**_

_**"Y-you're lying! There's no way a demon like you could find such a rare weapon! No one would even sell you such a dark weapon for fear of you going on killing spree!"**_

_**"Normally, that would be true. However, you see, I've met Muramasa. I trained under him for two whole years in the art of the sword, and in the art of the is one that I made from the very darkness within my heart!This is the blade that took Muramasa-sensei's life Mizuki!"**_

_**"Never draw a Muramasa unless blood is to be spilled, and never sheathe a Muramasa without first drawing blood."**_

_**"Treason is punishable by death.I know full well what his plans are, and everything he knows about one sannin named Orochiamaru."**_

_**"We've got bigger problems than Mizuki's betrayal sensei...much bigger."**_

**CH.10 Trading Blows**

Iruka stood in complete awe of his student,'Naruto...he took down Mizuki with a genjutsu and kage bunshin(shadow clones). Both of which were high ranking techniques if Mizuki couldn't break out of it until _after_ Naruto had pierced him. He's grown immensely, and right under my nose!'

Shaking his head mind of the thought, the scarred chunin called the blond over to him saying,"Naruto, come here and close your eyes; I have something for you." When the boy obeyed, he felt a weight being placed on his head, smiling; Iruka said,"You can open your eyes now Naruto."

Doing so, the blond smirked when he felt the metal of a Konoha hitai-ate on his brow as Iruka spoke to him,"I'm so proud of you. You've shown a great level of skill and strategy in the usage of your genjutsu, kenjutsu, and bunshin. I believe that you are more than worthy of the rank of geinin; you deserve it."

Smiling, Naruto simply said,"Arigatou sensei." Just then, ANBU appeared on the scene. One with a neko(cat) mask asked,"What happened! We heard a scream in this viscinity."

Upon recognising the ANBU, Naruto smirked as he commented,"Oi, Yugao-sensei. You're late. I already took care of the traitor and 'saved the day'. However feel free to take what's left of him, we gotta run."

Upon seeing the blond and the stolen scroll, she stopped them saying,"Was Mizuki the one responsible for the theft of the scroll?"

Locking eyes, Naruto and Iruka, turned and said,"Hai."

"Okay, then, you to go on and take care of that, we'll clean up for you."

"Arigatou sensei!"

When they left, one of the ANBU examining the body said,"Neko, you may wanna come check this out."

Coming over, Yugao asked,"So what's the damage Tori?"

Looking up from his position of being crouch next to the corpse, 'Tori' said,"Not good at all. I mean there's only a single piercing in the chest cavity as you can see...Yet, the effect it had on him is so much more..excruciating."

Looking harder, she asked,"What do you mean? Yeah, he looks a little rough but-"

"No, no. Look, there's no blood outside of the wound. No chakra residue. No nothing, just a corpse with empty eyes. As if-"

"His soul was taken."

Turning, the two looked over at the other member of the ANBU present.

"What are you saying, that a 12 year old boy with a daisho(two sword set) stole the soul of a traitorous shinobi?"

"If the shoe fits..."

Thinking on it, Yugao entertained the thought,'Well, that sword of his _is_ a Muramasa. Who knows what kind of abilities it has. Then again, it's Naruto's Muramasa seeing as he made it. He never does talk about how he made that sword, nor does he talk about what happened to Muramasa the day he died. That sword may just have the power to do so...Ugh, this is waay out of my pay grade.'

"I'll deal with that personally at a later date, right now, we gotta get this body to the morgue."

"Hai."

-With Naruto & Iruka-

The two had been walking together for a while, when Iruka decided to ask a question,"Naruto?"

"Hai sensei?"

"Did you mean that...back when you said that your sword was a-"

"Hai. This is a Muramasa style nodachi, I made it, but it has all the strengths of a true Muramasa. Master told before he passed that I actually created a weapon on par with the great demon blades of his own making."

Iruka nodded saying,"I could believe that, it's not everyday you see a sword take someone's soul. However, I need to ask, did you actually kill your sensei?"

With a mournful look the blond genin responded,"Hai. He had taught me all he knew, and tasked me with creating a weapon of Muramasa class. After a year, I was able to do so, and when I was finished he told me to fight him. I didn't want to at first, but when he attacked, my blade and I joined together. That same moment was the moment I took his life, and his soul as well."

Shocked, Iruka turned to his student as they walked,"So, that's what you meant when you said that-"

"Yes, Muramasa was the first person that my sword has fought and taken. That's how I learned one of its properties. There are others, yet I won't know until I'm in combat. I know Muramasa sensei's style, the Mumyo Jinpu-Ryu Satsujin Ken(Sword of the devilish wind) and Mumyo Jinpu-Ryu Ougi, and all the attacks that come with it. He also taught me how to use KI(Killing Intent/Energy) and Maai(samurai sense of awareness of the space between self and opponent). To be honest, that was the hardest fight I've ever had in my life, and sensei was so fast! Anyway, after I defeated him, I earned the mark of Kouryu(Yellow Dragon of the central void) from his sword, Tenrou(Sky Wolf) and placed it inside a location that he instructed of me to."

Iruka was just guffawing as a result of the boy's tale, when he recovered enough, he said,"So, eto..Why do you call Yugao sensei?"

Perking up a little bit, the blond said,"Because, she taught Hinata kenjutsu, and she helped us learn a bit of fuinjutsu. I learned the bulk of what I know from Masamune-sensei."

Coughing, Iruka said,"Matte...You had _both _Masamune and Muramasa as your instructors? You could make swords and be rich!"

"Well, I do. I make weapons and repairs every once in awhile, and I take special requests. My rules are, if you get me the materials I need, I'll make the weaponry and only charge you for the actual product. It earns me a bit of income every now and again."

The chunin instructor sat slack-jawed at the information his student gave him. He went about it in such a way, that Naruto cheered up and started laughing. When they had both calmed down enough, they went on towards the Hokage's office. Upon entry, Naruto said,"Iruka-sensei. I need a favor from you."

Curious, the shinobi said,"Sure, what do you need?"

"I need for you to not mention my sword being a Muramasa in your report, or what its properties are. If he found out, he'd have to inform the council, and they have NO idea that I even own a sword. If they knew who my teachers were, and what all I knew, I'd end up making weaponry for every shinobi and kunoichi in Konoha. Neither my sensei, nor I can handle that large a task. Understand?"

With an understanding nod, Iruka said,"I understand, I'll leave it out. However, you do know that the Hokage will find out eventually."

"I know, and I'll deal with it when the time comes. Until then, I appreciate your silence."

"Welcome."

Knocking upon the door, they heard the Hokage's voice say,"Come in!"

Entering, they brought the scroll with them, Naruto placing on the couch by the door as Iruka stood at attention and presented his report in an oral manor.

"Sir, securing the scroll and Naruto's location as ordered. Naruto knew what was going on from the beginning sir, it started with sabotaging of the boys test and further convincing of the boy to steal the scroll and turn it over to him. Naruto cooperated only to the extent of gaining the scroll, having learned the kage bunshin, he utilized it in his attack on the chunin. Furthermore, recognizing his attempt to end both of our lives, Naruto took it upon himself to end the threat out of self defense of myself and his own lives."

"Very well, did he graduate?"

"Hai! With full honors, hokage-sama."

"Good! Then you are dismissed, Naruto can you stay for a moment, this won't take long at all."

"Hai."

Upon Iruka's leaving, Naruto sat down before the old kage saying,"So, what's up Jiji?"

"I am aware of your use of a nodachi to dispatch of Mizuki, and I also know that it's a Muramasa."

Shock appeared on the blond's face but for a second before it was crushed under a mask of stoicism.

'He did that so fast I almost didn't catch it. Seems he's picked up quite a bit from the Hyuga clan.'

"Naruto, as I'm sure you know, normally I'd have to report this to the council..."

An eyebrow raised as the genin asked,"Normally?"

Smirking the old man answered,"Yes, however, seeing as this is a shinobi matter. _I _dictate all the aspects of what knowledge is shared about _my_ shinobi program. So, seeing as this is a military affair. You're off the hook, but, just don't feel like you have to hide things from me..If you tell me I know what to do to handle them; it's when it's a surprise that things go wrong. Okay?"

Naruto got a deadly serious look as he said,"So long as you remember that this whole process is a two-way street Jiji, we're fine. Just keep in mind that those same words apply to you, trying to _protect_ me or not. I'm growing, I can handle things and take care of myself to some degree. _You _don't have to keep things from _me_.Okay?"

With a slightly ashamed look on his face, he remembered his meeting with the goddess and his lineage as he said,"I'll be sure to do so. Now, do you know about the tournament?"

"Hai. I was informed by Neko-chan, you and one of the sannin are taking part in it I hear?"

Smiling, Sarutobi said,"Well, not just that, but there are other...interesting aspects to this tournament. All that I ask is that, you, don't hold back should you fight me or any other person above standard Jonin rank. Trust me on this."

"Hai, will do Jiji. Well, I gotta get going. Jyuken training."

"Alright, go on. See you at the end of the week."

"Hai hai!"

With that Naruto vanished in a flash of flames.

Stunned, Hiruzen thought,'Shunshin?'

Then with a smile on his lips he said aloud,"Well, the boy is getting good..This is going to be one interesting event."

-Hyuga Compound-

Walking towards the estate, Naruto greeted the two shinobi normally blocking the doorway."Hey guys, I'm back!"

Smiling the two replied,"Finally, we were getting worried about little Naruto./ Didn't know if you were gonna show up when we saw Lord Hiashi and Hinata come in without you."

Giving a foxy grin,"Aww, come on guys..You think I'd purposely leave here and not come back to see my favorite two guards? You've obviously hit your heads on something!"

"Yeah, well, thanks./ You,however, may want to get in there, those two should be headed to the courtyard right about now."

Walking passed, he said," Thanks guys! See in couple of hours."

"Uh huh."

Entering into the manor, the blond went straight to his training area. As he reached it, Hinata and Hiashi were reaching it at the same time. Smiling at the two, the newly made genin said,"Ha! Told you I'd get done with everything in time for training."

Smiling, Hinata said,"I'm glad all went well with your plan, you don't seem injured."

"Course not! He wasn't all that difficult of a challenge."

Hiashi frowned as he asked,"So, what exactly did he do?"

"He tried to use me to get the forbidden scroll of secrets out from the Hokage Building and then kill me off in the forest."

Both looked at the blond with wide eyes as they exclaimed in unison,"Nani?"

Smiling with a hand behind his head, he replied,"Come on, it wasn't that bad. I had worse growing up, besides Iruka-sensei was there to back me up should it have gone awry."

Sighing,Hiashi said,"So, there was someone there to help. Good."

Hinata relaxed as well, though she looked a bit angry. As Naruto got beside her to begin their forms, she hit him in the arm relatively hard.

"Itai! Nani?"

"That was for doing something so reckless and not including me! You could've been seriously injured."

"There was a chance of that, but I didn't want you or the other Hyugas involved. There would've been trouble had you gotten injured."

"Exactly, that is why she wouldn't have been able to go even if she wanted to ."

Both looked at Hiashi as they began their exercises, however, that was short-lived as he spoke aloud,"You know what? Stop. We're going to do something different today. In light of...recent events, you two are going to do a bit of sparring. This will help integrate what you're learning into you fighting instinct, and allow you to fix whatever is wrong in your form; if not you'll do it all night until I like what I see, understood?"

"Hai.

"Alright then, let's begin."

Squaring off, both entered into traditional Jyuken posture. They placed their dominant leg in front with even spacing as if in a horse stance, their dominant hand was also in front, facing palm out. Their other arm was bent at their waist, palm up. Charging forward, the two clash with a solid palm thrust. This was followed by a second clash of palms as the follow through met up, but after that it changed, as Naruto ducked and stepped forward; getting inside of Hinata's guard. The bluenette jumped to the left as the blond struck out with a left handed palm strike, but Naruto jumped backwards to avoid the double palm Hinata sent for his ribcage. She quickly followed up with a right palm thrust, only to have it blocked skyward by Naruto's left arm and attack with a thrust of his own. Hinata leaned into the attack and dodged a little, making it miss just an inch above her shoulder. She again rapidly followed suit, striking out with a rising shot to the ribs with her remaining left hand; sensing the blow, Naruto pivoted his right leg around to evade the hit while leaving Hinata's back and head open for attack.'What!' Caught off guard, the girl used her momentum to swing into a handstand with a reverse axe kick,'Kuso!' Naruto leaning back just enough to barely miss the swing. He jumped back a bit and fell into a stance, as he did so, Hiashi's eyes widened.

'That can't be! He doesn't know that technique! There's no way he could pull that off without having the Byakugan, he wouldn't know if he's hitting the right spots! Where did he even learn that from?'

As Hinata rose from her attack, she found herself paralyzed and a green seal on the ground; looking up at Naruto's stance, her eyes also widened as she thought,'He's not serious, is he? Then, I guess I'll have to pull that out as well.' Naruto came in to attack, calling,"**Hakke Sanjuni Sho!(Eight Trigrams 32 Palms!)**"

Just as he closed in and dropped the seal to attack, he called as he connected blows,"2..4..Argh!"

"**Hakkesho Kaiten!(Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin!)**"

Turning, Hinata used the 4th hit to start her revolution into an aerial Kaiten that knocked the blond back away as she landed in a crouch and catching her breath as she held her right shoulder.

"That's enough."

Relaxing, the pair smiled at each other as they approached their instructor. Looking at them both, he said,"I don't know what brought that about, but keep it for this week's tournament. Also, since when have you two been able to utilize Main House techniques?"

Naruto answered first saying,"We've been practicing at my place for a while, and we got it about a week after saw them performed." Hinata added,"It took us the rest of the week after seeing it to fully master it and integrate it into our styles of fighting."Hiashi nodded as he fought to keep his typical stoic look, but on the inside he was estatic,'That's a new record! How in the world did these two master these stances, and who showed them how to do them? Do they know any more?'

Naruto asked," Lord Hiashi, is it possible for us to go to my compound and practice. This week is gonna fly by fast and I think that we should be prepared."

Accepting the boy's request, he nodded an affirmative. As the two left, he thought,' I'm interested to see what else those two have up their sleeves. Maybe this tournament wasn't such a bad idea after all, Lord Hokage. I may just join up myself to see what those two can do. How far have you come exactly, Naruto...Hinata?'

***FIN***

**(A/N): Well, Another chappy down. Hope it pleases you as much as it did me to read. The chapter started a bit slow...I know, but as things pick up; the chaps get longer maybe...I'm just noticing this about my own writing style..We'll see. Till Next time readers!**


	11. Collision And Return

**(A/N): Hey guys! School, job, and life have me a little busy...However, I STILL made time for YOU! So, here's the next chapter. . .**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**"I need for you to not mention my sword being a Muramasa in your report, or what its properties are."**_

_**Upon Iruka's leaving, Naruto sat down before the old kage saying,"So, what's up Jiji?"**_

_**"I am aware of your use of a nodachi to dispatch of Mizuki, and I also know that it's a Muramasa."**_

_**"Now, do you know about the tournament?"**_

_**"Hai. I was informed by Neko-chan, you and one of the sannin are taking part in it I hear?"**_

_**'That can't be! He doesn't know that technique! There's no way he could pull that off without having the Byakugan, he wouldn't know if he's hitting the right spots! Where did he even learn that from?'**_

_**Naruto came in to attack, calling,"Hakke Sanjuni Sho!(Eight Trigrams 32 Palms!)"**_

_**"Hakkesho Kaiten!(Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin!)"**_

_**Turning, Hinata used the 4th hit to start her revolution into an aerial Kaiten that knocked the blond back away as she landed in a crouch and catching her breath as she held her right shoulder.**_

_**"That's enough."**_

_**Naruto asked," Lord Hiashi, is it possible for us to go to my compound and practice. This week is gonna fly by fast and I think that we should be prepared."**_

_**'How far have you two come exactly, Naruto...Hinata?'**_

**CH.11 Collision And Return**

As Naruto and Hinata walked to the Namikaze compound, the blond said,"Hinata-chan? Just what has Yugao-sensei taught you?"

Looking curious, Hinata answered,"And where is this coming from Naru-kun?"

Glancing at his partner, he said,"Iruka-sensei had asked me on the way to the Hokage's office, and I couldn't do more than give him a couple of things we picked up."

Smirking, she replied,"Well, when you spill some of your secrets blondie, I'll be more than happy to give you a definitive answer."

Jaw-dropped, the boy yelled,"Oi! Really? Quoting that duck-ass Uchiha isn't going to get you anywhere with me; remember that!"

In response the girl simply giggled as she skipped ahead, forcing the boy to pick up his pace to keep up. Closing in on the gate, Naruto said,"You know what? I've got a bit of a wager for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Hinata responded,"I'm listening.."

"This'll be a mock fight between us. No summons, no hogosha waza(guardian skill), and no-"

"Using of our most powerful jutsu, right?"

"Hai. This place may be filled with repair and barrier seals, but those wouldn't be able to stand the strain our jutsu would put on them."

"I understand."

"Good, now put your hand in lock, I've got it set up to acknowledge you for entry anytime into this place."

Walking towards the door, she turned around looking a bit nervous,"You mean this dragon's head?"

Feigning annoyance, the blond said,"Hai! Now hurry up!"

"Alright, alright!"

Placing her hand on the tongue, the dragon's eyes glowed with a bluish light before speaking,"_**You are found worthy, Enter.**_"

Creaking a bit, the large wooden doors opened and allowed the two to enter the premise. Walking ahead of the young Hyuga, Naruto said,"Welcome to the Namikaze Compound..You can come by anytime; especially for training, so, let me show you to the training arena."

Simply nodding, the bluenette followed in blind awe of the beauty of the place. Sakura trees were in full bloom, and lined the cobblestone walkways on both sides. The genin led his friend down a path towards an area that possessed a stage or platform of some kind with 4 statues at its corners. Each statue was in samurai attire, and each was in a differing position; though the similarity between them was the tiger seal that each held. Walking up the stairs, the blond said,"This, my dear Hinata, is where we'll spar for the rest of the week! So you know, the statues have Haya-Akitsu fuin(Sin Devouring Ocean Goddess Seals) in them that drain raw chakra, this means that as we fight, we'll lose chakra at an increased rate; improving our reserves and forcing us to maximize our molding to the least amount possible to make it work, helping with our conservation of chakra. They also hold elemental chakra that's wasted, but don't worry, you'll be able to use it from them as you go on."

Hinata was stunned as the boy continued, thinking,'This is absolutely crazy! What kind of a stage is this!'

Finishing, the Namikaze said,"Now, as for rules...You can release your physical seals, and use one ability from your necklace. Oh, and if you draw your blade, that's what we'll be working on for tonight. That'll be it! Let's work on kenjutsu and taijutsu for now, we'll cover the rest later."

Smiling, the Hyuga heiress placed her hand in a half ram seal as she called,"**Oho-Yama Fuin:Kai!(Mountain God Seal:Release!)**" There was a yellowish-green glow that covered her body as chains before fading away, the chains seemingly undoing themselves back towards the girl's left breast. Breathing lightly, the seal was visible through her outfit for a second as she spoke,"Ahh, it feels good to take that off every once in a while... So, any more quirks about this stage I should know?"

Smirking, the boy said,"Unfortunately, this thing also has an automatic pressure seal with a Shishienjin(4 Violet Flames Battle Encampment) jutsu..meaning.."

Kicking a pebble at the gap in between two statues, their eyes turned violet as a wall of flames appeared and incinerated the pebble. As it did so, Hinata jumped, and Naruto went on,"We can't touch be touching the walls either. My parents were insane geniuses."

Sweat-dropping and letting out a nervous giggle; the girl muttered to herself,"You could say that again.."

Walking to the other side of the girl, the genin went through handsigns before calling,"**Yofuiin:Shikai(Yang Seal:Initial Release)**"

Blinking, the blue-haired genin asked,"Now, let me guess, you got that trick from Masamune?"

"Hai. It's like the eight gates, except I don't suffer the repercussions because it's bringing me to my actual level of strength. So long as I don't go from Shikai to bankai(final release), I'm okay."

A soft blue glow emanated from him as his seal was released, and stretching, the blond said"You ready?"

"Hai. Whenever you are!"

"Alright then, Hajime!(Begin!)"

A white aura shone throughout the stage as seals appeared on the floor and covering the statues as the two charged at one another. Hinata, feeling the effects of the seal, flinched slightly as her body got accustomed. Naruto, on the other hand, came in a low crouch and smirked when his partner looked at him with wide eyes. Attacking, the blond struck her on the chin with an uppercut as he spoke.

"Come now..You didn't think it was gonna be _easy_ did you?"

Following the first blow, the blond twisted into a aerial reverse roundhouse kick that spun the girl as she was in the air. The hyuga heiress automatically reacted with a horizontal Kaiten that knocked the blond away and back onto the ground; landing on the stage herself a moment later in a crouch. With a smile on her face, and sadistic look **(A/N:That took on a very warm-hearted, open-eyed smile)** she replied while standing.

"Actually, for a second there, I did."

While going through handsigns, she continued,"However, now that I know you're serious about this...Let's go! **Tsuki Omori Fuin:Kai!(Moon Weight Seal:Release!)**"

A soft gray glow emanated from her frame as she released her second seal. Her hair waving about as if being blown by an invisible breeze, and when it fell back into its regular appearance, the glow faded and she seemingly vanished from her spot.

"Nani?(What?)"

_CRACK!_

The Namikaze's head was ripped to the side as a strike turned him. Chuckling, the blond spoke aloud,"**YoFuin:Dai-nikai.(Yang Seal:Second Release.)**"

Another blue aura poured off of him as the seals effect diminished, and as it did the bluenette appeared behind him with a flying side kick aimed for his head. Leaning back, the move was dodged as the boy went into a back-handspring kick that connected and knocked his opponent away as he used the momentum of the hit to fling himself up into a standing position. Hinata landed in a standing slide as she turned around once before stopping, as she recovered, she thought,'Okay, that's two seals each. Either he's toying with me, or the seals we're using are the same in strength. Now, how am I going to beat him?'

"Hinata, you shouldn't be wasting time thinking dear."

Coming from her thoughts, the girl jumped back with an "Eep!" as Naruto was directly face to face with her. Smiling, the blond said,"I thought so, look, don't fight me so with your head. Come at me with your own instinct; it'll help you later should you end up groggy or drugged and can't exactly focus fully for some reason. Relax, and let your body move of its own accord, that way you can think as you move."

Nodding, and still a bit red in the face, she answered,"Hai. Will do, but the next time you get in my face like that, you may get hit...on accident."

"Hai hai, come on."

"Fine! Take this!"

Covering her hands with water, Hinata began to move, Naruto following suit with flame covered hands. Charging, the two went in a fairly more aggressive fight as their attacks were using their elements in a fluid and instinctual manner. The Hyuga princess cut left as her opponent went right lashing out with an elemental palm thrust at each other, yet their reversing into a spinning hook kick unleashed whips of both flame and water that was ducked under by their own attempts to connect a blow. They continued on until Hinata changed up and went for a front-flip axe kick with a stream of water following, but the boy sidestepped, and went for a double roundhouse; the first catching her leg, forcing Hinata down, and the second catching her forearm as she was blocking. The power of the hit caused her to flip sideways along with causing a cloud of steam, and using that, she shot out into a one-handed cartwheel kick; the unseen attack knocking the genin into the air as his partner called out.

"**Suiton:Umiogama!(Water Release:Sea Scythe!)**"

Glancing down, Naruto saw Hinata gather water in her palm from out of thin air and then throw it in a side-arm style; the water seemingly exploded into a flurry of crescent-shaped blades as they flew directly at him. His mind raced,'Kuso!(Damn!) She's gonna kill me with that!' as he flipped through several signs,'_Tori-Usagi-Inu-Ohitsuji-Tatsu-Tori!_'** (A/N:Bird-Hare-Dog-Ram-Dragon-Bird) **

"**Futon: Kazekiri Bakudan no jutsu!(Wind Release: Wind Cutter Bomb Technique!)**"

Gathering wind within his own palm, Naruto created a sphere of whirlwind-pressure air and threw it forward. When it left his hand, it exploded into dozens of wind waves that cut through the water crescents and on went on to attack Hinata.

"Che.(Damn.)"

Rapidly making handsigns, the girl called out again, saying,"**Katon: Kouen Heki no jutsu!(Flame Release: Red Flame Burst Technique!)**"

Clapping and opening her hands over her chest, the girl gathered a ball of flame in between her them, and when it was complete she thrust it forward. **(A/N: In a DBZ Kamehameha fashion.)** The result was a giant torrent of red fire that shot out, and when it hit the wind waves it immediately grew in size, speed, and color. The flame increased its power to a searing blue-white aura that seemingly burned the sky all the way to Naruto. Said Uzumaki was smiling as the attack closed in, and when it hit, the boy laughed aloud; his opponent frowning upon realizing her mistake.

'Fire user plus fire jutsu equals countered attack and wasted chakra. Stupid move.'

"Ya know, Hinata-hime, I think this was a mistake that you might just regret making."

Glaring at the flaming ball that descended before, she muttered,"No more than I already do now."

"Well, I believe this is yours. Harragh!"

Gathering the flame around himself into a stream, the Namikaze twisted it around as he moved, finishing only to launch it towards the bluennette. **(A/N: Think Firebending.)** Thinking quickly, Hinata created a dome of water to guard against the attack. Within the ensuing mist created from the combined elements, Hinata called out,"**Ame.(Rain.)**"

Slowly, a drizzle formed out of nowhere, and dissipated the mist. Ironically, more came as a result of the water hitting the seal walls, leaving the two totally blind. Naruto simply closed his eyes as he said aloud,"Good work Hinata, this was really good thinking on your part. Now, kenjutsu."

'_Uma-Tora-Ino-Usagi-Onezumi-Inu-Usagi-Tora-Onezumi-Ino-Inu-Hebi_' **(A/N:Horse-tiger-boar-hare-rat-dog-hare-tiger-rat-boar-dog-snake)**

"**Byakugan(Evil Eye)**!"

Drawing her wakizashi, the girl charged forward at the immense amount of she had come to recognize as Naruto. Jumping, she brought her blade down on the blond, silently praying that he had some way of seeing in the fog...

_CLING!_

She breathed a bit when when she felt his blade against hers, thankful that the boy was as smart as she hoped. However, sensing this, the boy spoke.

"Based on that breathe, you thought I couldn't see you. Didn't you Hinata?"

"Hai."

"Don't ever underestimate your opponent, they may have skills that you know absolutely nothing about; so, as a precaution, treat every opponent as such. Understood?"

"Hai."

"Yosh.(Good.) Here we go."

Pushing the female genin away, Naruto vanished before she could hit the ground. Quickly turning she blocked a slash meant for her abdomen, another aimed at her back, two thrusts for her face, and a series of rapid swings targeting different vital spots. Appearing behind her a distance away, the young Hyuga sped over to where he was standing and went for attack of her own. She hacked, cut, slashed, and moved all around him; looking for an opening and simultaneously trying to create one. To her dismay and curiosity, nothing she tried worked,'It's like he has the Byakugan as well!'

"How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Avoiding everything I'm doing to hit you? I haven't hit you yet!"

"It's called Maai. It's a technique that my sensei Muramasa taught me. It allows me to sense anything within the range of my field of perception. So, really, I don't need my eyes to see."

"Well, you definitely have to teach me to do that!"

"I guess, but I haven't hit you either, so your eyes work just as well. Besides, looks like Yugao-sensei taught you quite a bit during your time together."

"That she did, but you got a lot more training than I did, and from better instructors."

"No. No instructor is better than another, it's all dependent upon _how_ and _what_ they teach _you_. Then, what you learn from their style of teaching and whether or not it was compatible to us. We both got an extraordinary amount from our sensei's lessons for only knowing them two years, and I'd say we're both rather skilled."

"Right."

The two began clashing again, hitting one another with combos and tricks that they'd picked up from their sensei's teachings. Neither of them landed a blow, and Hinata, truly wanting a hit; she attacked Naruto with a spinning low kick, but when Naruto jumped to dodge, she followed it with a forward thrust while leaning backwards.

'Nani?'

The blond tilted his head to the left a bit and held up the flat of his blade so as to avoid a serious injury, but he grunted when her sword bit into his shoulder.

'That was totally outside of the box, where'd she get that from?'

As he landed, the blue-haired genin stood and twisted around as she swung calling out,"**Mizu Kiba!(Water Fang!)**"

A crescent wave of water flew towards the blond as he landed, and sensing it coming, he brought his sword up to block it. As it hit, he slid back a little ways more, surprised that it had as much power behind it as it did. After holding it off for a second and it hadn't faded, he leaned back, and allowed it to pass over him and fly into the wall of flames in a spray of steam.

"That was quite a move!"

"Arigatou!"

"Welcome. **Hiton: Chirensa Soutei(Hidden Release: Earth Chain Binding)**"

Suddenly, metal chains shot from beneath Hinata's feet and wrapped her legs, arms, and neck as Naruto swung his blade in an upward and downward motion saying,"**Kenton: Dyuaru Engetsu!(Blade Release: Dual Scathing Moon!)**"

A ring of energy came off the sword as the attack flew vertically to a pinned Hinata. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she formed a wall of ice in front of her from the rain and used a substitution with a sakura petal to avoid the flying attack as it sliced through the ice wall and everything behind. Leaving a shocked girl to watch as the attack went on and even cut through the barrier before dissipating a little ways further.

"You! You could've killed me with that technique, what's wrong with you?"

"There's a reason Hinata, and it's meant to kill. You're a kunoichi and you knew how to escape that. Be glad I gave you time to do so."

"Nani?"

"I slowed that jutsu down for you to get out, also, there's another Hiton that I'd normally use to prevent escape completely as well as potentially kill you before the second attack comes. However, this is training still, so I leave those kinds of things out."

"Are you still holding back on me?"

"Ie.(No.)"

Nodding, she sheathed her wakizashi before pulling out her Masamune.

"Good, because neither am I! **Mikatsuki no Mai(Dance Of The Crescent Moon)**"

Summoning three clones, all four of them began to move in elegant dance patterns that produced afterimages. Closing his eyes, Naruto put away his sword as well and dropped into a stance. His right leg slid slightly behind him as his right hand was palm down across his chest, and his left hand was placed on his Muramasa with his thumb on the base of the tsuba(hilt). As Hinata and her clones closed in, the blond smirked, as he flicked his thumb...

_SCHLING! POOF! POOF! POOF! CLANG!_

Hinata stared in shock as the two deadlocked and her clones popped out of existence. She was awestruck as she saw the blond's chakra turning a golden color before he opened his eyes and looked at her. Her heart stopped temporarily and she felt unbridled fear as her mind could only process one statement,' Those eyes!'

As Naruto gazed at the girl facing him, his smirk never left his face as he said,"**Now you know the one thing I told you I hoped you never knew.**"

"T-this is why you named your sword Setsunen(Oblivion)?"

"**Hai.**"

Pushing the girl backwards, the blond came forward in a blur of speed and kicked her in the stomach before she could land. He followed that with an elbow to the back that sent her straight into the stage. Getting up groggily, the girl stood in a defensive stance as the blond observed her in cold, predatory manner.

"Come now, you haven't bonded your sword yet. Such a shame, if I were you, I'd fight with the intent to kill me..otherwise, you may get hurt."

Charging forward, the boy attacked with a series of slashes and quick cuts that placed the blue-haired Hyuga entirely on defense. She put up a little fight, attacking when he went to fall back, but the blond simply dodged or parried to place her back on the protective the while, the girl's mind raced,'What's wit him? I can't get a single hit on him at all! What's worse is that he's toying with me! Why am I so afraid!'

Angered, the heiress charged the blond with a horizontal slash that turned into a mule kick followed by a front-flip into a reverse axe kick and vertical slice; all of which missed when the blond sidestepped it a lashed out with a side kick that knocked her back and off her feet. His face contorting into a vicious expression, Naruto yelled.

"**Pathetic! If we were on the field you be dead right now, and there'd be nothing I could do to save you! There's nothing but fear reflected in your blade. When you dodge, you're afraid to get cut. When you attack, you're afraid of killing someone. Even when you're trying to protect yourself, you're afraid of getting killed. Your sword speaks to me only of absurd fear, yet it isn't necessary in a fight as nothing good is born of that; strength comes not from fear, but from its absence in the face of resolve. When you dodge,"They won't cut me." When you block,"They won't kill me." When you attack," I will kill them!" Your will must be certain, your desire to kill present and strong. Well, can't you see the resolve to kill you in my sword?**"

*** -Elsewhere in the universe- **

**"Achuu!" **

**"Oi! Watch where your sneezin' Hat-N-Clogs!" **

**"Gomen, gomen. I think someone's talking about me."**

**-Back in the Naruverse-  
**

Nodding, Hinata placed her left hand against the edge of her katana, and hissed as she cut it. Then, wiping blood across the seals on the flat of her blade, it glowed in a silvery-white hue as Hinata's eye's gained an azure color to them before fading away moments later. Exhaling and breathing deep suddenly, she fell to the ground, unconscious. The blond, cutting his hand on the blood groove of his blade, let the his blood flow down the blade before sheathing his sword and reactivating all their seals. As he walked forward, he spoke aloud as he went to pick up the Hyuga, saying.

"**I'm glad you understand. B**_y t__he time you wa_ke up, you'll have all the knowledge of Gyousei(Morning Star) and know all that you need to know about our blades. You did an amazing job, sweet dreams, Hinata-hime. Now, let's get you back home. Kai."

Slowly, the rain dissipated, and all the seals in place were dissolved as the blond carried the girl off the stage and headed towards the Hyuga Estate. As he traveled he thought aloud as he looked at the moon above," Ya know, I wonder what will happen in these next few days? Either way, it's bound to be...interesting."

-Hokage's Office-

As the Hokage was finishing up his work for the day, he was alerted to the presence of someone near him.

"Come in."

Obeying, a shinobi in a standard chunin outfit came in and said,"Lord Hokage, I have news from master Jiraiya regarding the tournament."

"Go on."

"Hai. He says that there will be one other of the sannin coming to take part in this event, they _should_ be here by the end of the week."

Smiling, the Shinobi no Kami(God of Ninja) said,"Good, good. You are dismissed."

Upon the chunin's departure, the old man thought to himself,'Well now...This is certainly going to turn things up a notch. Two of my old students returning to Konoha. This will truly be an interesting weekend; that's for sure.'

-Village Gates-

As the moon was blocked away behind some clouds, three figures approached the village gates. All three had on shrouds and hoods, so as to keep all but their lips invisible. As they came close, the guards called out,"Halt! State your name, purpose, and show your paperwork."

Continuing on, the figures said nothing, and as the guards called out again they still received no reply. Just as they were tensing to attack, the moon revealed itself again, and a soft breeze blew through the area; the tallest figure's hood blew off, and took their honey-blond hair sideways in the breeze. As she spoke the guards froze,"I see nothing's changed at all over the years since I've been gone." That said, the three kept on their way into Konoha with the two shinobi speechless...

**{ FIN }**

**(A/N): Well now people...Hope that this was enough to please all your needs for now. I want to say that I'm gonna be busy with work soon but, I'll try to continue bringing you all chaps later on down the road. Peace! ^^ **

**P.S. :* Bleach reference for those who didn't catch it. That quote was one of my favorites from the show and I couldn't help but use it in this part of the story...It was too perfect for what I needed to do!  
**


	12. Let Me Train Him

**(A/N): Hello People! Gekkokage here with a new update to our wonderful work Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu, now I know you all are ready to get ytour read on; so here you go!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**"You know what? I've got a bit of a wager for you."**_

_**"I'm listening.."**_

_**"This'll be a mock fight between us. No summons, no hogosha waza(guardian skill), and no-"**_

_**"Using of our most powerful jutsu, right?"**_

_**"How are you doing that?"**_

_**"Doing what?"**_

_**"Avoiding everything I'm doing to hit you? I haven't hit you yet!"**_

_**"It's called Maai."**_

_**"I'm glad you understand. By the time you wake up, you'll have all the knowledge of Gyousei(Morning Star) and know all that you need to know about our blades."**_

_**"Lord Hokage, I have news from master Jiraiya regarding the tournament."**_

_**"He says that there will be one other of the sannin coming to take part in this event, they should be here by the end of the week."**_

_**-Village Gates-**_

_**"I see nothing's changed at all over the years since I've been gone."**_

_**'Well now...This is certainly going to turn things up a notch. Two of my old students returning to Konoha. This will truly be an interesting weekend; that's for sure.'**_

**CH.12 Let Me Train Him.**

Hinata awoke in complete darkness. The world was black as night all around her, and there wasn't sound of any kind present.

'What is this? Where am I, and why do I always end up in situations like this?'

"_You are in the realm of Tensakai-de-Umi(Heavenly Boundary made with the Sea)_."

When that was said, the world seemed to explode with the sound of shattering glass. As she watched, the darkness was swallowed by light and the young Hyuga found herself surrounded by an infinitely blue sky and sea.

"_I am the keeper of this realm, to you, I am known as Gyousei. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Master._"

A person seemingly ascended from the surface of the water with a slight ripple surrounding them. Coming to a stop, the heiress looked at her sword in wonder.

'Beautiful.'

"_Arigatou...Master._"

Gyousei stood at 5'7" with neon green hair, ruby red eyes, and a delicate face and figure. She wore a simple violet yukata at knee-length and wore her hair in an elegant top-knot fashion with a silver star pin in her hair on the right side.

'Wh-how did I end up here? Was it-'

Before she could finish, her mind brought forth images of her fight with Naruto and her bonding with her blade; then, it also replayed the message that the blond left to her.

{FlashBack}

"**I'm glad you understand. B**_y t__he time you wa_ke up, you'll have all the knowledge of Gyousei(Morning Star) and know all that you need to know about our blades. You did an amazing job, sweet dreams, Hinata-hime."

{End FlashBack}

Closing her eyes, the bluenette said,"So, this was what happened to him..."

"_Hai. Naruto-sama went through this ordeal right after he killed Muramasa, his instructor._"

Snapping her eyes open, Hinata gasped out,"Nani? How do you know such a thing?"

Expressionless, the woman spoke,_"I am made from Naruto-sama's soul. Therefore, I know **all** of the things he likes and despises about himself. My goal was to instruct you on what you were supposed to learn about me and the Muramasa Setsunen. Do you have question before I begin?_"

"Hai. Naruto-kun told me that his blade has the ability to take souls, is that true?"

"_Hai. It is._"

The Hyuga heiress stood in shock as Gyousei went on to say,"_There are specific characteristics about the swords that you must understand; Ojou-sama(Princess), Muramasa and Masamune both, are created using aspects of the creators own soul. Muramasa being the physical manifestation of darkness within the wielder's heart, whereas Masamune are from the good within someone. The abilities granted to each sword is dependent upon the personalities of the smith and the weapon's master, for instance, if one were to forge a Muramasa with rage in their heart or soul, the weapon's skills would manifest from that emotion._"

"So, are you saying that Naruto has to feel that emotion to activate his swords abilities?"

Gyousei shook her head as she replied,"_No, I am merely stating that his heart or soul has to be able to accept such emotions in order for him to have access to them. What makes Naruto-sama different from Muramasa-sama is his ability to use his whole heart and/or soul when forging. Muramasa-sama couldn't do so with more than his own sword because each of his swords took a piece of his soul with them, so as to enable strengthening through bonding with the blade's Rei(ghost). Now, Naruto-sama's forging was on par with Masamune-sama in using his soul, yet it didn't cost him a part of himself because he decided to use Chakra instead of Ki. Chakra makes weapons able to adapt to almost any user based upon strength of heart, will, and chakra. They need to be at a certain level, or meet certain criteria before being able to utilitze us properly without the threat of being taken over by the power of the sword._"

Hinata blinked as she digested the information, her mind processing like lightning as sheasked,"Tell me, what are the properties of both yourself and Setsunen?"

In a cross between a smirk and a frown, Gyousei answered,"_The Muramasa Setsunen possesses the traits of Hatred, Rage,Sorrow,Jealousy,Revenge, and Solitude. It's traits may grow in number or strength depending on its user. As for me; I carry Love, Valor, Faith,Justice,Compassion, and Solace. Like Setsunen my individual traits may change or grow depending upon you or whoever else wields me._"

"I understand. Can you tell me what abilities Naruto and I can use at this time?"

Gyousei was silent for a moment before nodding slowly as she spoke,"_Naruto-sama had only learned Jealousy and Rage since my forging, those two traits enable the ability to take souls and distribute all their knowledge to himself. It also magnifies his bloodlust and Killing Intent to extreme levels; along with his speed, strength, and power. You, on the other hand, know of Valor; which enhances your speed, strength, power, and grants you a limited control over your own aerial maneuverability called 'Jumping'. As you train or fight, you'll gain the rest of your abilities..._"

"Arigatou, Gyousei."

"_Welcome, ojou-sama._"

Turning away from the woman, she said, "I'll have to remember all of this for when I wake up."

The ghostly female said,"_No, you won't. I will establish a mental rapport between us whenever you are ready to leave._"

"Rapport?"

"_Hai. A mental connection through which we can talk using telepathy, I can aid you in anything that you would need and offer you advice whenever necessary._"

"Okay then, let's get started on it right away! That sounds really useful, what do I have to do?"

Walking forward, Gyousei cupped Hinata's face with her hand gently as she said softly,"_Nothing more than relax..._"

Hinata blushed a furious shade of red as Gyousei closed into a lip-lock with her, her mind was in overload as she was too shocked to move, and just as quickly as it had come; it was over and left the poor girl breathing heavily as Gyousei said with a small smile,"_Rapport complete. You may leave now Hinata-ojou-sama, all that I say is...come back and visit me sometime._"

"H-h-hai!"

With that, the white-eyed genin vanished in a swirl of water as Gyousei's face fell into a serious expression.

_'She's strong, but she will have to reach a higher level than where she is if she wishes to be equal to Naruto-sama.'_

**-Elsewhere, Ama No Iwato(Heavenly Rock Cave)-**

"_**Naruto-kun what's on your mind?**_"

The blond was kneeling before the goddess as he spoke,"I have a question, are there any more like Hinata and I?"

Her face furrowed as she asked,"_**Why? What's happened?**_"

The Uzumaki replied,"I felt earlier this evening a powerful presence entering the village before it suddenly vanished, it felt a lot like my own aura, except with a subtle difference. I don't know how to explain it."

"_**Don't worry, I understand. To answer your question, hai, there are others like you two in the world. I just wanted you to be a bit stronger before I had you find out about them...**_"

Noticing her face, the genin asked,"Why? What's wrong with the level that I'm at? I've learned my katas, I've mastered all the flames, and even perfected my hogosha waza(guardian technique) so if your saying that these things aren't good enough; then just how strong do I need to be?"

Pinching the base of her nose, Amaterasu sighed and said," _**You still need to master the Magatama, your own Muramasa skills, and raw chakra manipulation. I have other things that I wish to give to you, but we're running out of time for me to be able to teach you them in their entirety...Go back, tell Sarutobi that you're going to be with me training for the rest of the week.**_"

"Hai!"

The boy faded from view in a blaze, and when he was gone, the crimson goddess turned to the shadows and said,"_**You know, I don't appreciate people entering my domain without permission...even if they are family.**_"

"_I apologize for my error, I wasn't aware that you had company at the time._"

"**_That's not the point; Tsukiyomi, why are you here?_**"

Stepping out from the shadows; a man with snow white hair, red-orange eyes without pupils, dark blue robes, and a green crescent moon on his forehead spoke in a soft voice.

"_I am merely here to offer you a proposal, if you're interested._"

"_**I'm listening.**_"

"_My disciple has an...interest in the Namikaze boy...Let me use this as a way to kill two birds with one stone, I'll catch the boy up with his training for you, and my pupil gets the training that she needs on an opponent on her level._"

Thinking it over, the sun goddess nodded saying,"_**You have 48 hours to do what you will with him, do not torture him, and do not go too far Aniki(Brother); I will know if you do, and I will not hesitate to end whatever it is you are doing.**_"

"_Of Course, Onii-sama(Elder Sister), I will do as you ask...I will be off, my pupil will be greatly pleased to know of this news."_

"_**Hnn. Arigatou, go on.**_"

Tsukiyomi bowed before dissolving into nothing, a small smile on his face. Sighing, Amaterasu thought aloud,"**_This is going to be rather interesting...Naruto-kun's gonna be pissed when he finds out!_**"

**-Hokage's Office-**

"Come in!"

Naruto entered the office as instructed, and the old Kage said,"Why, Naruto-kun, what brings you to me so late in the evening?"

"Amaterasu."

Almost immediately, Sarutobi's face lost all traces of humor as he said,"What's going on?"

The blond said simply,"I'm gonna be gone for the next few days, I'm supposed to be training with her to prepare for this tournament...Hinata's doing the same, but she should come to you later on tomorrow morning."

"Hmm, I understand. Go on then, when you come back, I want you ready to fight with all you've got!"

"Hai! I'll be leaving then."

A knock came from behind the door, and the old shinobi let them in. As Naruto walked, he came upon three women; one, a busty blond with doe brown eyes and a purple diamond on her forehead, the second, a black haired woman with dark brown eyes and a calm air about her, and the final one was a girl his age with long mahogany colored hair and pure Mother of pearl colored eyes walking with a cane of sorts. As he passed by them, he felt the world slow down around him until he was side by side with the last girl; his mind wandered.

'Eh? Who is -'

Before he could finish, he felt her aura, and he responded silently.

"It's you! The one from earlier!"

She had a small smile on her face, and when she spoke her voice was as soft as a breeze in summer.

"I finally found you...Namikaze."

**-With Hinata, Real World-**

Hinata awoke in her bed, as she got up she thought,'I've got to train...there's no way that I'm strong enough right now. To face Naruto-kun's darkness again, I don't know if I'd be able to win. I must get stronger, I must!'

With that thought, she proceeded to get her gear and head out towards the training grounds...

**-Naruto-**

The genin walked out of the room, and waited for the door to close before he thought,'So, that's the one I felt from before. Was she blind? It felt as though she had a Maai going around her...'

Speaking aloud as he headed home in his usual swirl of flames, he sighed out,"Ugh, who's she bonded with? I've gotta feeling that I'm gonna be seeing a lot of her."

**-In Town, Near the Training Grounds-**

Sasuke Uchiha was walking alone through the streets as his mind was brooding.

'With this tournament, I'm gonna be able to get that dobe back for what he did to me...But, who do I know that can get me stronger? There's got to be a jounin here somewhere who can help me?'

As the Uchiha walked, he came upon the memorial stone, and saw a lone shinobi standing before it. As he approached, the boy saw silver hair that defied gravity, along with a standard jounin's gear and a face mask on the man. Finding a kunai, the raven haired genin threw it as hard as he could, and was shocked as the kunai pinned his target perfectly; until it burst into a log, and he found himself face to face with a Sharingan eye...

'The Sharingan? Is this guy an Uchiha!'

**$ FIN $**

**(A/N): Hi there! Did you enjoy it at all! I know I held off on the action, just means you'll have to wait for the next chapter! Lol ^^ Now, Breaking News: The tournament is taking place in 2 Chapters! Those of you who haven't put in for the fights you want (OUTSIDE OF NARUTO & SASUKE) now's the time to do it! You have 1 CHAPPY left before I stop the poll and do whatever with this thing! Use YOUR GOD-GIVEN right to vote ppl! If you don't you may not get to see what you want till I decide to do this again! Ja'ne!  
**


	13. Motivation Pt 1

**(A/N): Hello fans! Been juggling things around, and I've enough time to update Yay! ^^ Hopefully, this chapters a bit better than the last one; I apologize for the last one, it was a bit rushed...Anyways, on with the show!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

**"_I am merely here to offer you a proposal, if you're interested._"**

"_**I'm listening.**_"

**"_My disciple has an...interest in the Namikaze boy...Let me use this as a way to kill two birds with one stone, I'll catch the boy up with his training for you, and my pupil gets the training that she needs on an opponent on her level._"**

_**Thinking it over, the sun goddess nodded saying,"You have 48 hours to do what you will with him, do not torture him, and do not go too far Aniki(Brother); I will know if you do, and I will not hesitate to end whatever it is you are doing."**_

_**"I'm gonna be gone for the next few days, I'm supposed to be training with her to prepare for this tournament...Hinata's doing the same, but she should come to you later on tomorrow morning."**_

_**"I finally found you...Namikaze."**_

_**'The Sharingan? Is this guy an Uchiha!'**_

**CH. 13 Motivation Pt. 1**

The moonlight shone with fierce intensity as the two stood facing one another. Sasuke, with a look of complete confusion, and the other held a gaze that spelled trouble for the genin. Speaking, the elder man said,"Look, I don't want to know what your intention was, but to attack a fellow Konoha shinobi is against the law of this land. I can tell you're a genin, your aim wasn't bad, but it wasn't too fast now was it?"

Glowering at the remark, the Uchiha replied rapidly,"Just who are you, and why do you have the Sharingan?"

Sighing, the stranger thought,'He knows about the Sharigan...so, this is the Uchiha survivor. Hmm, things are never easy for me; are they?'

Placing his hitai-ate back over his eye, the man answered,"The name's Hatake, Kakashi Hatake. You must be the famous Sasuke Uchiha based on your manners, and as to why I have the Sharingan?...That's really none of your business."

"It is my business! You have the doujutsu of my clan, and if you aren't blood then it becomes an issue as to how, why, and from who you gained or stole it!"

The cyclops was taken aback slightly by the boldness that the black-eyed child addressed him with,'The kid's got spunk, I'll give him that. However...'

"Sorry, just because you're an Uchiha doesn't mean I owe you anything. Life doesn't work that way."

Sasuke watched as Kakashi turned and began to walk away from him,'No! I need to know if nothing else..'

"Matte!(Wait!)"

Pausing, the scarecrow faced the boy and said,"You wanted something?"

Watching with mild interest, the jonin watched as the genin bowed and spoke,"Please, I have an ambition that I have to fulfill, and things that I have to do...And getting stronger is something I _have_ to do in order to achieve these things! Even if it's just teaching me some jutsu, I need your..your assistance. Will you he-hel-p me?"

Blinking, he thought,'He's so much like...like me, hmm, for _you_..'

"Fine. We'll train for the remainder of the week to see what you're capable of accomplishing under pressure, and know, this won't be easy."

Closing his eyes, the Uchiha said,"Hai. I will endure whatever is needed."

Placing his arms behind his head, he began to walk away, 5 paces later he turned and called,"So, you coming? We can't train you if you're not going to follow me to a practice field."

"Hai!"

**-Hokage's Office-**

"So, Tsunade, Shizune, it's good to see the both of you again."

The blond stated,"Yeah, I'm sure glad to see you too old man...How's life, and who was that gaki just a moment ago?"

Chuckling, the old kage said,"Life's treating me as usual, paperwork is still the devil's instrument. That was Naruto, he's one of our most promising genin. I look forward to facing him in the tournament, just to see how far he's come along."

Nodding, the sannin said,"Really? He's _that_ good?"

"Hai/Hai."

All eyes turned to the fourth person present in the room, mahogany hair swaying slightly as she tilted her head.

"I noticed his aura was rather strong when we entered this room, he's truly skilled indeed."

"H-who are you may I ask little lady?"

Tsunade laughed nervously for a bit as she said,"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce you, this is-"

The girl interrupted with a bow saying, "Meikakushi***** Kurama; you can call me Mei for short. I'm Tsunade-sensei's apprentice, second to Shizune-sempai of course."

Standing, she had a small smile on her face as she continued to say," It's an honor to meet the legendary Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kami no Shinobi himself. Sensei spoke of you every once in awhile when we were on the road."

"Will you shut-up! Geez, next you'll be telling him about where I've been..."

Smiling, Shizune said," If you want, I could tell him.."

"No you won't!"

"Hai."

Laughing, the hokage said,"Well, glad to see you getting along so well. It's a pleasure to meet you as well young lady, and it's interesting to know that student does talk about me. We'll have to talk more often."

"Of course!"

Blushing, Tsunade yelled out,"Damnit, no you won't! Either of you!"

Snickering, giggles, and chuckling was heard for a moment amongst the four as they enjoyed the jest. Sighing, Mei suddenly said,"Well, I've had fun. I'll let you adults have your grown time now..farewell."

In a blink she had faded away, as if she had never been there. Gasping, the old shinobi said,""N-nani? She's just-"

Tsunade said,"Yeah, took us some time getting used to it as well. I don't know all of her skills, but I do know that she's been holding a hell of a lot back...So, that kid of yours the same as her?"

"Yes, him and another by the name of Hinata Hyuga. The two of them are my best genin so far, and I'm really interested to see how well they do in the next few days."

"So that's what this tournament was about...you're testing them?"

"No, testing everyone. Based on the outcome, we may very well have some new promotions; this gives the opportunity to truly know what my shinobi are capable of..and that will greatly help in deciding who is the best fit for certain missions. The daimiyo won't see them until the chunin exam, but this will truly be one of the best contests to be had within Konoha's walls. If all goes well, I may do this again on an annual basis."

"We'll see, won't we then..So, who all is taking part?"

"Any shinobi that wants to. I've let those out on missions continue them, and those that don't wish to be apart aren't pressured into it. I expect a large crowd will be watching this unfold, and some opinions will be changed or at least reassessed. Now, why did you bring that girl with you? I didn't think you'd have an apprentice outside of Shizune..."

**-With Naruto-**

As the boy got to his front door, there was a letter on the front of it. Opening the mail, a slip of paper fell out, and picking it up the boy read.

"Hello there,

You are asked to come to the academy for a...'get-together' of sorts. You will not be the only one, and there is much that you need to learn..."

'That's weird, but whatever, it's probably that girl again...Let's find out what she wants.'

**-With Hinata-**

Having gotten to Training field 7, the Hyuga princess found a letter awaiting her on the ground.

'What's this?'

**-Ino and Sakura-**

As the two girls sat before a window at Ino's house, the girl's mother called up saying,"Ino! Sakura! You two have letters down here addressed for you!"

"Huh?"

"Letters, for us?"

-Shikamaru and Choji-

The boys sat quietly as the were playing a game of Shogi.

Deep in thought, neither of them saw Shika's mother come in wit hthe letter until she spoke.

"You two, you've got mail here from an unknown address."

"Wait a sec, mail for us? Who'd even know where to find us?"

"Don't know, I just found this outside with your names when I wen t to clean the porch."

"Huh, this is so Mendokuse(Troublesome)."

"I agree."

**-Kiba-**

As the boy played with his dog, Tsume came over to him saying,"Oi, you got mail."

"Nani? Who the hecks sending me crap at this time of night?"

'Maybe it's Hinata sending me an I love you letter!'

Arf!

Kiba looked down as his partner sniffed the envelope and shook its head.

"Shut up! You don't have to be such a dream killer.."

**-Shino-**

As the boy sat near a glass structure with nests inside of it, he turned as he heard his mother enter.

"Hello kaa-sama."

"Hello, Shino, you have a message here for you."

Cocking an eyebrow he repeated,"For me?"

**_Academy_**

Naruto entered the academy, and came to stand against one of the pillars in the gym area. (**A/N:Think of where Lee whooped Sasuke**)

As he stood waiting, he sensed two others entering into the vicinity, and when they did he said aloud,"So, what're you two doing here? I was expecting to meet somebody."

A girl with brunette hair rolled into buns on the side of her head, and a boy with black hair in the form of a bowl cut stepped forward saying,"We were sent a letter here explaining such an incident as well."

The girl replied,"Seems somebody wants to have a little chat with us here. So...who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. You two?"

"I'm Tenten Higasha. This is Rock Lee."

Soon after, Hinata walked into the building, and upon seeing Naruto with two others; she called out,"Naruto-kun? What are you doing here with these two?"

Looking on, Lee said,"Hey, does she not resemble Neji? Are they related?"

Tenten replied,"Yeah, they are. They're from the same clan. How'd she know to come here?"

"She got a letter the same as us I assume."

Blinking, the young Hyuga answered,"Correct. I got one too. What's going on?"

"We're gonna find out apparently once everyone gathers that was called out here. For now, we wait."

20 minutes later found everyone that had been given a letter in the building, all genins, even Sasuke had gotten a letter. Once they were all present, a light came on over them all and lit up the walkway. Turning and looking ahead, everyone saw a girl with Mahogany colored hair, Mother of pearl eyes, a cane, and a cloak said loudly,"Welcome! I'm glad that you all were able to arrive in such a short time. Now, I won't joke around seeing how valuable your time is, but I will tell you the reason why I've called you all here...My name is Mei Kurama, and I am to warn you all of the overwhelming odds against you in this upcoming tournament."

**-Hokage's Office-**

"You see, when Shizune and I were traveling, we visited a town that was known for its massage parlors. When we had arrived, that girl was outside, fighting some guy who had tried to grope her in the middle of her massage. Normally, we would've intervened, except the fact was that this girl single-handedly beat the man down; then, beat his friends when they came to help, and turned around and healed them all before getting her cane and walking away. We had never seen a normal girl with that kind of skill, so upon following her for a while, she led us out to a stream and as she bathed called to us."

Shizune took over, saying,"We were taken aback at the fact that she had even found us when we were over a mile away. No normal person could've possible done that! So, we sat down and talked with her. When we finished, she had revealed that she was taught by a blind man in the arts of self-defense and healing through massage work..she called the man Zatoichi."

The hokage took all this in stride, nodding, the old man said,"I've heard of that man before. He was an elite ronin who was blind and took up the mantle of masseur as a way to make money. He also did it to cover up his vigilante work, he was a lethal swordsmen, easily trumping the Seven Swordsmen of The Mist. To have been trained by that man, she should be more than capable of taking care of herself. So, why is she here?"

Smirking, the blond said,"The plan was to make her a Konoha shinobi and put her in this little contest of yours. She's been under my wing for a little over 4 years now, I've taught her everything she needs to know from me and of Nindo(Way of The Ninja). She will excel in this tournament, and when she does, I want to be there to see just how strong she really is."

The elder smiled, as he said softly," So, we're in the same boat you and I.."

"Nope."

Smirking, he said,"Really?"

"Yep."

"Why's that?"

With a bright gleam in her eye, Tsunade said,"I plan to beat the crap out of both you and that perv as well!"

With a laugh, the old kage said,"Well, aren't we being ambitious..Very well, I'll do the paperwork, you give her the equipment. I want to make a wager."

"Oh? What kind of wager?"

"That Naruto will challenge Mei, and win, even though he doesn't know her abilities."

"Okay, if the man who trained her is as strong as you say, then this should be easy money."

"Tsunade-sama. We don't know anything about Naruto either!"

**-Academy-**

"Wait, so you mean to say that we go up against jonin and even the hokage and sannin?"

"Yes. They plan to thoroughly test all of you. Especially you two."

Pointing at Hinata and Naruto, a few people laughed while others stayed silent. Kiba shouted,"Who the hell would wanna know about weak ol' Naruto? He's nobody special."

"Ah, but he is. He was trained by the great Masamune _and_ Muramasa. Hinata has been working with an Anbu captain for years, and there is just no way that any of you as of right now could beat them."

Tenten gasped as Mei spoke, and when Sasuke asked,"Who the hell are they anyway? Some no name celebrity trained such a no name ninja, classic."

The brunette said,"The hell is wrong with you? Muramasa and Masamune are two of the world's greatest warrior smiths! To have one of their swords make you almost unbeatable, the skills that those two possess was said to be rival to the strongest kages known to exist as of right now!"

Silence followed, Naruto held a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he looked at Mei as his mind worked,'How the hell does she know about me and Hinata? Just what god was she bonded to?'

"Hinata, we're going. I'm gonna go train."

"H-hai."

In a burst of flame and water, the two vanished from site. Leaving the other genin at a loss for words. Sasuke clenched his teeth in rage as he turned and left as well, his action bringing to a quiet close the gathering as everyone left out to go train.

Mei, smirked as she vanished from the location as well, her mind working.

'Looks like this contest just got interesting. Time to train...Namikaze Naruto.'

**~FIN~**

**(A/N): Hopefully this is okay for those of you who remain loyal! (^^;) Sorry about the last one again, and let me know what you think about this one. I eagerly await your messages! Ja'ne!  
**


	14. Motivation Pt 2

**(A/N): Hello! Sorry it took me so long to get this out to you all. I was moving and getting all my things together, but I got my computer up and running and now I'm here to give you the shot of Fiction you've been tweaking for! Also, I've been thinking on how the heck I was going to get the story to progress lately, buuut I still need match suggestions if you have any beside Naruto V.S. Sasuke in this Tournament! ^^ Anyway; here you go!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**-Hokage's Office-**_

_**"I noticed his aura was rather strong when we entered this room, he's truly skilled indeed."**_

_**"H-who are you may I ask little lady?"**_

_**"Meikakushi* Kurama; you can call me Mei for short. I'm Tsunade-sensei's apprentice, second to Shizune-sempai of course.""Yeah, took us some time getting used to it as well. I don't know all of her skills, but I do know that she's been holding a hell of a lot back...So, that kid of yours the same as her?""Yes, him and another by the name of Hinata Hyuga. The two of them are my best genin so far, and I'm really interested to see how well they do in the next few days."**_

_**"So that's what this tournament was about...you're testing them?"**_

_**"No, testing everyone.**_

_**"So that's what this tournament was about...you're testing them?**_

_**So, who all is taking part?"**_

_**"Any shinobi that wants to. I've let those out on missions continue them, and those that don't wish to be apart aren't pressured into it. I expect a large crowd will be watching this unfold, and some opinions will be changed or at least reassessed.**_

_**_Academy_**_

_**"I will tell you the reason why I've called you all here...My name is Mei Kurama, and I am to warn you all of the overwhelming odds against you in this upcoming tournament."**_

_**"I want to make a wager."**_

_**"Oh? What kind of wager?"**_

_**"That Naruto will challenge Mei, and win, even though he doesn't know her abilities."**_

_**"He was trained by the great Masamune and Muramasa. Hinata has been working with an Anbu captain for years, and there is just no way that any of you as of right now could beat them."**_

_**'How the hell does she know about me and Hinata? Just what god was she bonded to?'**_

_**"Hinata, we're going to go train."**_

_**Mei, smirked as she vanished from the location as well, her mind working.**_

_**'Looks like this contest just got interesting. Time to train...Namikaze Naruto.'**_

**Ch. 14 Motivation Pt. 2**

"Naruto, matte."

The boy came to a stop a little ways ahead of Hinata, who was rushing slightly to catch up.

"Who was that girl? How did she know about us and why did she tell everyone about our teachers?"

"At least she didn't tell them about our other masters."

Nodding, the young heiress followed her partner as they went out towards the training grounds.

**-Shopping district- **

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were travelling along together; the evening sky glowing a deep blue with the light of a quarter moon.

"I can't believe it...Naruto and Hinata? Who'd have thought that those two would get such strong teachers."

Picking a few chips out of a bag, the young Akimichi said,"Yeah, I mean, we knew that they were tough shinobi...but to think that they were that far ahead of us."

"Kinda makes you think how much harder we've gotta work to catch up...Geez, it's all so mendokuse(troublesome)." Shikamaru added

"Well, I for one am not gonna let that Hinata think she's better than me just because she's stronger. Looks like I'm gonna be doing some studying...Bye you two, I suggest you both get serious about learning your clan techniques as well."

The boys said goodbye, with Shikamaru stating how troublesome the situation was.

"Well, looks like we better get home and get started huh..Come on Chouji."

"Yeah."

**-Academy-**

Tenten, Lee, and Neji stood together just outside the academy grounds talking about the incident.

"Neji, that girl from earlier said something about Hinata...Is what she speaks true?"

With a snort, the elder Hyuga said,"How would I know...She goes to train with Naruto at the Nam...at another location."

Catching the cover up, Tenten said,"Where do they go? You said something about Nam?"

"Don't worry about it."

Pausing for a minute, Lee turned to Neji and asked,"Wait, is that Hinata girl one of the main branch? Is she the one you have a grudge with?"

"That's none of your business, Lee, stay out of it."

Tenten then said,"You know what, I think we're gonna have to train separately for now...at least until after this tournament."

Muttering agreements followed from the other two, and with that, they all went their separate ways.

**-Kiba and Shino-**

"What the heck...I can't believe that Naruto's the one that broad wanted to talk about. Pisses me off that I didn't even get to talk to Hinata!"

"Arf! Rarf!"

"Whatever Akamaru, Naruto's still the same gutless twerp that he's always been. I don't care how strong he may seem, it's all for show!"

"You are mistaken, Kiba."

"Nani?"

"Naruto is much stronger than you give him credit for being...much stronger. We are going to have to work hard if we are to be any match for them."

Growling low in his throat, Kiba ground out,"Yeah, I hear ya. I gotta get stronger if I'm gonna beat Sasuke, and make Hinata recognise me as a proper mate."

Akamaru barked an agreement with the two shinobi, and they continued on to their own homes for training.

**-Sakura-**

"I don't care what that girl says, no matter how good that annoying blond gets, there is no way that Naruto is stronger than Sasuke-kun."

"Is that what you think?"

Sakura turned toward the speaker, only to find a person standing on the branch of a tree.

"Show yourself!"

"My, we just met a while ago..But, very well."

Jumping from the limb of the tree, Sakura watched as Mei landed before in a small cloud of dust at her feet.

"You, you're the one from earlier! What are you doing here?"

Smirking slightly, the seemingly blind girl answered,"I'm here to tell you that you're weak."

"What?"

"You're a pathetic kunoichi, and I'm here to say that you are by far the weakest out of all of the genin of Konoha. Even that Ino girl is stronger than you."

Sakura shook with rage as the kunoichi continued on to say,"Mental strength is nothing if cannot show a physical power as support."

"Take...that...back you Bitch!"

Sakura drew a kunai and threw it at the girl, and Mei merely sidestepped it. Yet as Sakura took three steps in a charge, she was frozen in place as a blade appeared at her throat.

"Nah ah ah. Silly girl, let me show you just what it is you're going up against...Ne?(Right?)"

**-Sasuke-**

Wandering along the road, the Uchiha's mind went rampant as he thought about the past moments.

'No wonder that loser is so strong! He's been training with a sensei for years!'

"It doesn't matter...once I activate my Sharingan, I'll be able to defeat him, and then I'll kill _him_."

**-Training Ground 7- **

Naruto and Hinata arrived at the grounds just as the clouds covered the moon,"How are we doing this?"

"I'd say an all out spar. You up for it?"

Hinata turned to see Mei walking towards them, as the light of the moon came back out from its cloudy covering.

Without looking, the blond said,"That a challenge?"

"Think of it as more of a training session."

"Hmm, I see. Who's your bond with?"

"I am the apostle of Tsukiyomi, God of the moon. Apprentice of Tsunade of the Sannin, and Zatoichi the Ronin masseur. I am here to aid your training, Naruto Namikaze."

Chuckling to himself, the blond said,"Hm, so that was who I sensed when I was with Amaterasu-hime. Very well then, I'll accept your help..."

Hinata glanced at the pair as the conversation went on, and looking to the Hyuga, Mei said,"It's okay if you wish to join us Hinata Hyuga. I'm only here to help, and I believe that you are in the same predicament as your friend."

Shaking her head, the White-eyed girl replied,"Thank you, however, I've to go see the Hokage and let him know of my own plans to train elsewhere. I have already arranged to train separately, but good luck, to the both of you."

When she was finished speaking, she faded in a burst of water, leaving the two alone on the field.

"Well, are you ready to begin?"

"How's this work?"

Smiling sweetly, the redhead answered,"First, I am going to place you within my Tsukiyomi no Me. It's a powerful genjutsu that acts as an alternate dimension that I have full control over. I will be using that to train you in all your..incomplete aspects, then we will go all out; I'll get to train in maintaining its duration past my current limits while doing other things simultaneously."

"And that limit would be?"

"A span of up to 3 days per second."

Nodding, the blond replied,"Well...that's impressive."

Doing a curtsy, the girl answered saying,"Why thank you, Naruto-san. Now, let us begin shall we?"

"Hai..."

**=Owari(End)=**

**(A/N): Sorry bout the briefness of this chap...I plan to make it up with the next two; promise! Next time on NSA: The Spar...**

***Meikakushi=Blindfold  
**


	15. Training Day

**(A/N):Hellloo! How are you all? I hope you're all enjoying life as I've been slaving over this storyboard in my head forever trying to get something of a better fight for you guys! The truth is I wanted something that was different from the Hinata spar, but on a whole other plane from regular shinobi battles without revealing any trumps...See my conundrum? Anyway, after a lot of thinking and second-guessing; this is the result of no sleep and too much work! Enjoy! ^^ **

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

**_"Who was that girl? How did she know about us and why did she tell everyone about our teachers?"_**

**_-Shopping district- _**

**_"I can't believe it...Naruto and Hinata? Who'd have thought that those two would get such strong teachers."_**

**_"Kinda makes you think how much harder we've gotta work to catch up...Geez, it's all so mendokuse(troublesome)."_**

**_"Well, I for one am not gonna let that Hinata think she's better than me just because she's stronger. Looks like I'm gonna be doing some studying...Bye you two, I suggest you both get serious about learning your clan techniques as well."_**

**_"Yeah."_**

**_-Academy-_**

**_"Neji, that girl from earlier said something about Hinata...Is what she speaks true?"_**

**_"How would I know...She goes to train with Naruto at the Nam...at another location."_**

**_"Where do they go? You said something about Nam?"_**

**_"Don't worry about it.""Wait, is that Hinata girl one of the main branch? Is she the one you have a grudge with?"_**

**_"That's none of your business, Lee, stay out of it."_**

**_-Kiba and Shino-_**

**_"Whatever Akamaru, Naruto's still the same gutless twerp that he's always been. I don't care how strong he may seem, it's all for show!"_**

**_"You are mistaken, Kiba. Naruto is much stronger than you give him credit for being...much stronger. We are going to have to work hard if we are to be any match for them."_**

**_-Sakura-_**

**_"I don't care what that girl says, no matter how good that annoying blond gets, there is no way that Naruto is stronger than Sasuke-kun."_**

**_"You're a pathetic kunoichi, and I'm here to say that you are by far the weakest out of all of the genin of Konoha. Even that Ino girl is stronger than you."_**

**_"Take...that...back you Bitch!"_**

**_Sakura drew a kunai and threw it at the girl, and Mei merely sidestepped it. Yet as Sakura took three steps in a charge, she was frozen in place as a blade appeared at her throat._**

**_"Nah ah ah. Silly girl, let me show you just what it is you're going up against...Ne?(Right?)"_**

**-Sasuke-****Ch. 15 Training Day**

The two ninjas said nothing as they attacked, both coming in low and spinning into a hook kick that caught against the other, yet the duo simultaneously jumped into a secondary kick that also found a twin. Landing in handstands, both flipped away from their counterpart with smiles on their faces.

"Your pretty good.."

"So are you."

"Now, let's stop playin' around okay?"

"If you wish."

Drawing a kunai, Naruto once again charged in, yet Mei simply smirked as she began doing handseals. "No you don't!"

As he closed the distance, the blond hurled his kunai at the girl while going through his own handsigns. The kunoichi merely sidestepped it saying,"Come now, this can't be the best you have...I thought you said that we'd stop playing around?"

"You're right, boom..."

Eyes widening a bit in understanding, the wine-haired kunoichi jumped to get away, but the force of the explosion knocked her forward towards the incoming shinobi. 'Che!' Flipping to stabilize herself, Mei came out in a rolling crouch that had her face to face with the kneecap of her opponent. The blow sent back a ways as the boy finished his seals,"_**Suiton:MizuTeppo no jutsu(Water release: Water Gun Technique)**_" Inhaling deeply, the Uzumaki unleashed a stream of high speed water that was directly aimed at his opposition.

Finishing her own seals, Mei called out,"_**Doryuheki!(Earth Style Wall!)**_" A solid stone slab appeared before her just as the water came close, cutting a a deep line into the earthen shield.

"Oi,still think we're playing?"

Slowly, the girl faded into thin air thinking,'Hmm, let's see if you are..Namikaze.'

'She's quiet, what's she planning?'

"**Kinpo:Tenton:Yomi no jutsu(Forbidden Art:Heavenly release:Land of Darkness Technique.)**"

Naruto froze as the world went black,"What is this?"

Kurama's voice came out through the void,"This is hell...this jutsu recreates the very nature of its namesake,Yomi. You'll find that no jutsu, nor kekkei genkai will save you once here; it is invincible."

"Nothing man-made is invincible."

"Ah, but you were listening right? It's a Tenton(Heavenly Release) meaning that I didn't make it...I was taught this by Tsukiyomi himself, and when paired with another technique of mine, it truly is unbeatable."

"**Katon:Kaenhoushaki(Fire release:Flamethrower****)**"

Naruto blew fire into his hands, lighting them both before inhaling again and emitting an enormous blast of flame upwards toward the sky, and a second burst down against the ground. The result was a small blaze flickering in front of him,however after a moment the flame died out, plunging him once again into darkness.

"Come on and fight me!"

"Alright."

Schling...

"Argh!"

The blond yelled in pain as he felt a blade go across his back, turning with a roundhouse gave him nothing but more pain as he then felt a cut along ribcage.

"Kuso!"

"I've told you already Naruto...This technique is invincible, especially when someone like you relies too heavily on one sense. Welcome to my world, I've lived like this since I was 4 years old, alone and in the everlasting void of darkness."

'What the hell! How am I suppossed to get outta this?...Heavenly, that's it! I'll fight fire with fire.'

Closing his eyes, the boy began to relax, focusing on nothing. He could feel the wind as it blew through the forest behind him, he heard the water ahead of him as the stream went rushing on, and he smelled the scent of iron from the wounds he had sustained. He turned slightly at the sound of an incoming object, and suddenly leaned back to avoid it as the blade of a shuriken came saoring by, and almost cutting his eyes and nose.

'That's it...relax, let your body's senses take over..Now, let's try again.'

Charging ahead, Mei saw Naruto tilt his head slightly at her approach.

'Good...Let it take hold of you, let it become who you are..'

Faster than normal, Naruto drew a kunai to defend against whatever it was coming at him, and soon enough he was rewarded with clang of metal hitting metal.

"Well, this is a surprise...Namikaze."

"Can you please stop calling me that..it's Uzumaki."

Grabbing out, the boy caught hold of his enemy's wrist, and with surprising speed and agility flipped her over his shoulder and wwent with her; contorting into an axe kick aimed for the head, but to no avail when he found nothing beneath his blow. As he crouched down, heard Mei speak,"Impressive. You knew where I was?"

"Yes, I almost forgot about using Maai(swordsman's field of perception) to spot you. Listening to you, I didn't think to use my technique without my sword; speaking of which, you cut me twice using a blade, yet you never had one before. So, what are using?"

A chuckle escaped the dark red-head as she answered,"It's a shikomizue. A cane sword like that of my master, it's skills are quite numerous in my hands...similar to that Muramasa you made. How good are you with it?"

"Enough so to beat you down a couple of pegs for thinking that my blade is anything similar to yours."

"well, then, do try me."

Slowly, the blond placed his right hand on his weapon, thumb on the tsuka(hilt) as he drew it in an underhand grip. The gold aura washed over him as his eyes gained the same color; a cruel smirk creeping onto his features as he said,"**_You know, you are quite possibly one of the best targets I've had the pleasure of fighting so far...I want you to know that when I kill you, I'll erect a decent grave for you as my appreciation._**"

"Is that so?"

'So this is the ominous presence I sensed from him. Looks like I'll have to play it safe, otherwise, I'll end up just as he said.'

"_**Yep! Prepare yourself!**_"

In a flash, the blond was behind the Kurama in an overhead strike,"_**Rragh!**_"

Diving left, she barely avoided the blazing trail that followed the swing. **(A/N:If a smoking portion of her right sleeve was any indication)**

Curling, she went into a one-handed round-off and slid back crouching.

'That was close..Well, at least I know he's not playing.'

**-In the forest-**

As the battle commenced, a certain pinkette was standing in utter disbelief.

'How is this possible? Naruto...he's amazing! There's no way that he's so strong, in the academy even I was better than he was! W-was he holding back on us the entire time?'

As she watched she saw Mei start disappearing, and catching the girl's eye, she saw the wink sent by the mahogany-haired kunoichi.

'Sh-she's enjoying this! How could I have even though of fighting her, she'd totally kick my ass!'

"**-Yomi.**"

As with Naruto, her entire world fell into shadow; except, she could see the blond standing still out in the field.

'What's going-"

"Argh!"

She saw the young shinobi get cut in the back, and then again in the ribs.

'She's killing him!'

She got up to run in, but she was held still by a firm hand, looking over found her in the proximity of Mei.

"What are you-"

A hand over her mouth silenced all argument,and whispering the girl replied,"Just watch. It's going to get real interesting soon...Now, we begin the real fight."

"But, his eyes are closed..How are you two doing this, what's with this darkness technique...How's he gonna fight?"

As Mei sent a shuriken towards her target, Sakura watched him evade the weapon, and then go on to block his opponent's attack.

'Woah...How'd he do that?'

She continued to watch as the two talked, and see Naruto slowly release his blade from its sheathe...

_Bump Bum._

_Bump bum._

**(A/N: Heartbeat okay!)**

Sakura felt her body pulse as the sword was drawn, and as the boy's aura became visible, her vision swam. Images, words, and a black katana with a solid white hilt was the last thing she saw as her consciousness left her.

_'What...is...this...'_

_**'I am Tenrou; Come to me...My King.'**_

_'Hn...'_

**-Training field clearing-**

The two clashed, sparks flying from every blow as they danced around one another. After a moment the two deadlocked, and Naruto smirked,"_**So much for that invincible technique you were talking about.**_"

"I see that you're ready then?"

"**_Ready for what?_**"

**_"Tenton:Tsukiyomi no Me(Moon Reader's Eye)"_**

**FIN**

**(A/N): Soooo...was it up to par? If not let me know and I'll revise it. It's not over yet! The REAL fight begins next time on Naruto:Sage of Amaterasu! Till then, Ja'ne!**


	16. The Unveiling

**(A/N): Welcome back fans to a long awaited finish to the training session! I apologize for the length it took me to write all this, but exams are absolutely brutal! Now, out of the hole of depression I rise...if only to bring this small, yet precious gem to your own crazy lives. Lol (Just kiddin' ya!) Now, on with the story! Forward March!  
**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**The two ninjas said nothing as they attacked, both coming in low and spinning into a hook kick that caught against the other, yet the duo simultaneously jumped into a secondary kick that also found a twin. Landing in handstands, both flipped away from their counterpart with smiles on their faces.**_

_**"Your pretty good.."**_

_**"So are you."**_

_**"Now, let's stop playin' around okay?"**_

_**"If you wish."**_

_**"Kinpo:Tenton:Yomi no jutsu(Forbidden Art:Heavenly release:Land of Darkness Technique.)"**_

_**"This is hell...this jutsu recreates the very nature of its namesake,Yomi. You'll find that no jutsu, nor kekkei genkai will save you once here; it is invincible."**_

_**"Nothing man-made is invincible."**_

_**"It's a Tenton(Heavenly Release) meaning that I didn't make it...I was taught this by Tsukiyomi himself, and when paired with another technique of mine, it truly is unbeatable."**_

_**-In the forest-**_

_**Sakura felt her body pulse as the sword was drawn, and as the boy's aura became visible, her vision swam. Images, words, and a black katana with a solid white hilt was the last thing she saw as her consciousness left her.**_

_**'What...is...this...'**_

_**'I am Tenrou; Come to me...My King.'**_

_**-Training field clearing-**_

_**"I see that you're ready then?"**_

"**_Ready for what?_**"

**_"Tenton:Tsukiyomi no Me(Heavenly Release: Moon Reader's Eye)"_**

**CH.16 Unveiling**

**-Hokage's Office-**

Knock. Knock.

"Come in."

Hinata Hyuga came in as instructed, to find the hokage with a honey blond woman with a large bust, a raven-haired woman, and a pig sitting in the former's lap. Coughing, the young heiress spoke.

"Excuse me, but I've come to inform you of my training..It will be done elsewhere away from the village and without Neko-sama."

Nodding, the old kage said," Very well then, Hinata-chan. I'll be sure to let your father know for you. Have you met my guests, the women you see before you are Tsunade and Shizune. They are to be taking part within the tournament as well."

Running up to the women with the pig saying with flushed cheeks, "Arigatou, that would be very much appreciated...It's a pleasure to meet the both of you! I have always wanted to get to meet the great Tsunade Senju of the Sanin!"

Sweat-dropping, the dark haired kunoichi said, "While I'm quite flattered you think so highly of me...I am not Lady Tsunade."

Turning to the other woman, who held a large pulsing tick mark on her brow, Hinata bowed.

"Eheheh. Gomen! Please, I must be on my way, but I look forward to challenging both of you . Sayonara!"

Then, in a whirl of water, the white-eyed princess was gone.

"So that's the one you were talking about...Right old man?"

"Hai. That was Hinata Hyuga, my other genin. I tell you this tournament is going to be something."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see her...I'll help her remember which one of us is the sanin!"

"L-l-lady Tsunade, it was an honest mistake...don't punish her too harshly for that."

"Uh huh, I'll teach just how big a mistake it was! Just wait for the tournament!"

**-Training Grounds-**

Once again, Naruto was petrified where he was...with his eyes closed, the blond genin felt his world swim and completely flip.

_**'What..the...hell?'**_

With a cruel smirk present, Mei giggled out,"Heh, surprising, isn't it? To have your whole state of being tossed the way it is...Give up, this match is over."

A snicker found it's way to the boy's lips as he growled out,"**_Ya know, you're one hell of twisted chick; didn't even see the strategy till now._**"

"Excuse me?"

"_**Your main skill in combat is to disrupt your opponent's senses; take his sight and force the other senses to work, take his those away and the rest is history.**_"

"Well, you're a smart one, Uzumaki, I'll give you that. What gave it away?"

"_**The fact that you gave me time to adapt, when if this were real, you'd have finished me off the first few seconds after my sight was taken.**_"

"Good! You've learned how to fight without your precious sight. You still haven't figured out what to do about them."

Chuckling to himself, the wine-haired kunoichi replied,"What's so funny? I don't believe this is a laughing matter."

_**"**_**No. It is...You really think something this weak is gonna stop me! I'll show you true power Kurama!**_** Setsunen:Kuno(Anguish)"**_

Mei's mind reeled as her body was suddenly flung backwards,' What? Feels like being hit with a giant sledgehammer.'

She could only cough as she made to stand, her body sagging low as she did so; that's when she heard Naruto's voice say,

"_**Mumyou Jinpu Ryu Ougi: Suzaku.(Lightless Divine Wind Advanced Style : Suzaku.)**_"

Mei jumped left just before a blazing crimson phoenix soared into the spot where she was but a second ago. Glancing to the effected area, she saw that the ground, the trees, and even the air itself seemed to be caught ablaze.

'He's able to do_ this _much damage with just one attack? I'm impressed.'

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to be able to override the **Tsukiyomi no Mei **so easily Naruto."

"Heh, I'm not done yet.."

"Ara. You can stop now..this fight is over. I concede you the victory for our little training session."

"_**Tch. Fine. All that I have to say is that this f**ight never happened, and no one kno_ws but us present...That goes for whoever is in the bushes over there as well."

"So, you noticed...Alright, Sakura-chan, you can come out now."

"Eh? Why'd you bring that billboard with you? Aren't there better people who could've seen this?"

"Well, I assume there are. However, she was the one who _needed_ to see this. Sakura! Come on!"

After another few moments of nothing, the two rushed over to the pinkette's location..only to find her unconscious.

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know.."

"Tenro..."

Blinking, the Uzumaki thought aloud,"No..."

"Nani?"

"That's impossible, she's the heir!"

"Naruto, what are you talking about?"

"Before...Muramasa-sensei passed, her told me to hide his sword Tenro away somewhere, and when the true heir revealed themselves...that I was to instruct them in the ways of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu. I just can't understand how it's this spoiled brat?"

"Life has a very surprising way of entertaining people."

"Whatever."

"Look, you take her home for me?"

"What? Matte! You can't just-"

It was too late as the girl had already vanished from site.

"Aitsume!(Damn Her!) Leaving me here with her...Jeez, how...Mendokuse(Troublesome)."

**-Elsewhere-**

"Shikamaru! How many times have I told you about covering your mouth when you sneeze!"

"Gomen, Ka-sama."

'Ugh. How...Mendokuse.'

**-Training Field, Hours Later-**

Yawning, the bubblegum kunoichi sat up thinking aloud,"What happened?"**  
**

"It doesn't matter."

Turning to the voice, she found Naruto sitting against a tree next to her.

"hey, what are you doing here, weren't you fighting-"

"About that.. I don't want you talking about it to anyone. I mean anyone, got me?"

Fearfully, the girl said, how'd you get so strong? I remember in the academy that you were worse off than I was!"

"I faked it. You saw my genin exams...anyway, that's not the point. As to answer your question about how I got strong...You're about to find out, get up and come on."

"Huh?"

"You and I are gonna start training for the tournament together...unless you want to stay the weakest genin and kunoichi in Konoha."

Her mind reflecting on past events, she prosed,"Can you help me beat that Mei girl?"

Smirking, the blond said,"If you train hard enough, I'll teach you how to match me."

"I'll do it!"

With a brutal spark in his eye, the blond answered,"Then let's go..."

**$Fin$**

**(A/N): Hey! How was that! Did you get it? Great! Cause it's soon to be the moment you've all been waiting for...The Tournament Chapters! Yay! ^^ So, those who have something to say, you know where to go! Anyone who wants a fight specifically written about in these next few chapters tell me... Till next time! Ja'ne.**


	17. Hajime!

**(A/N): Hello fellow fans! I know it's been awhile...but I've great news! The Tournament Arc is almost finished...yay ^^ A Little heads up, in the chapter there are 2...yes TWO flashbacks..this is to cover over the ground that otherwise would've been a long treacherous detour for you all. (I know, I know. I'm so considerate! lol)**** So, without further ado let's get this party underway hmmm?**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**"Ara. You can stop now..this fight is over. I concede you the victory for our little training session."**_

"_**Tch. Fine. All that I have to say is that this f**ight never happened, and no one kno_ws but us present...That goes for whoever is in the bushes over there as well."

**_"So, you noticed...Alright, Sakura-chan, you can come out now."_**

**_"Tenrou..."_**

**_"That's impossible, she's the heir!"_**

**_"Naruto, what are you talking about?"_**

**_"Before...Muramasa-sensei passed, her told me to hide his sword Tenrou away somewhere, and when the true heir revealed themselves...that I was to instruct them in the ways of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu."_**

**_"Life has a very surprising way of entertaining people."_**

**_"You and I are gonna start training for the tournament together...unless you want to stay the weakest genin and kunoichi in Konoha."_**

**_Her mind reflecting on past events, she prosed,"Can you help me beat that Mei girl?"_**

**_Smirking, the blond said,"If you train hard enough, I'll teach you how to match me."_**

**_"I'll do it!"_**

**_With a brutal spark in his eye, the blond answered,"Then let's go..."_**

_**~ Prologue ~**_

"Come, close your eyes, and count to three."

Obediently, Sakura stepped forward, and as she grasped the sheathe of the sword, she closed her eyes hearing Naruto say,"**Kukan**(Void)"

_1..._

Sakura felt a sudden burst of emotion; cold, alone, empty...the term hollow fit best as she squeezed her eyes tighter to avoid whatever force it was that compelled her to feel such a way.

_2..._

"Naruto-sama, who is this?"

"Mibu Sakura, she's come to claim her inheritance."

"I see..Go on then."

"Arigato, Kyoshiro-kun. The temple still in the same place?"

"Hai..Please come this way."

_3..._

Opening her eyes, the girl heard Naruto's voice saying,"I was just about to say, we're here...Glad to know you can follow orders."

A tick mark formed on the pinkette's brow as she replied,"Oh? Glad you're so proud of that ...it's not like I'm stupid! Besides, what could've possibly happened if I had opened my eyes?"

The blond stood still for a moment as his face grew serious, he said solemnly,"There are things that even the privileged Mibu are not to be privy to and survive Sakura...remember that."

Her swallowing of air audible as a small trickle of sweat formed, her mind processing,'Whatever that was...it had such a terrible aura, as if all the darkness and pain in the world were there. I think I'd have died had I seen it, glad I listened.'

Glancing around, the kunoichi found herself gaping at the profound beauty of the land before her. Upon a cliff stood an enormous pagoda, yet on either side of the pathway leading to it were two aisles of the tree that was her namesake, all of which glistened and cascaded into shadow in light of the sunset that had befallen the land.

'Amazing...'

"This place is called Sakura no Hinansho(Sanctuary of Cherry Blossoms). It is here that you will find your legacy and begin taking steps toward a new life, however, I must warn you; whatever you face within those walls...it is going to take something from you...whatever it believes is making your weak. I have faced my worst fear inside that place, I would not wish to see you suffer the same fate. Best of luck to you, student." His words done, a small gust of wind picked up, billowing pink petals between the two blurring one's vision of the other. Once it died down, much to Sakura's ire, the blond was nowhere to be seen. 'Typical. The one time I need the dobe-Naruto, he chooses to be all serious! Huh.' Sighing lightly to herself, Sakura entered the pagoda, steeling her resolve and her mind against whatever laid waiting ahead...

**CH. 17 Hajime! (Tournament Pt. I)**

The sun shone brilliantly down upon the backs of ninja and civilian alike as they all filed into the great stadium of Konoha. The sky was halfway full with clouds as they trolled about lazily within their heavenly domain, and even as people found their seats and discussed their picks for the competition, one thing was for certain throughout the entire congregation; this was to be one of the greatest displays of shinobi skill before the upcoming chunin exam. As the sea of bodies materialized within the watching platforms, the old hokage stood inside of his reserved booth with his two students at his sides, all of which watched the accumulating personage with eager anticipation.

"So, who do think will go all the way?"

"I don't know, but my money is on that Uchiha kid making it at least."

"Oi, mine too!"

Silently, a few shinobi in various jounin attire were speaking amongst themselves, in particular a one-eyed scarecrow and his spandex wearing self-proclaimed "rival".

"Ooooh, Kakashi, My flames of youth are searing over the inability to face you in front of our fellow people! Yet, they overflow with the intensity of a thousand suns at watching my students partake in such glorious competition!"

"I'm sorry, were you saying something to me?"

"Arrgh! You and that hip attitude of yours!"

"At any rate, I agree that it's disappointing to not be a part of this, but you must remember the hokage's reason for not granting us permission."

**-Flashback-**

The elder Kami no Shinobi stood before his subordinates as he informed them,"You all are not to be taking part in this tournament."

A purple haired jounin with a tan jacket asked in a semi-childish voice,"What, why not!"

Smiling, the old man said,"Because, Anko, you are to be watching your potential students as they engage one another and make up your teams with the knowledge you obtain."

Non-plusing, Anko merely said,"That sucks."

Kakashi spoke up saying,"I agree with both of you, but why can't we observe our genin _while_ we spar with them, you could call it our individual tests."

Nodding, Sarutobi replied,"Yes, but that wouldn't allow them to work their own issues with one another out would it?"

"Erm, no, it wouldn't."

"I know it seems bad, but it's a good opportunity to see something truly amazing as they strive to beat their own rivals, much like you and Guy."

"Yosh! I am all in favor of seeing the end of the feuds between students as they test the strength of their own unique Springtimes of Youth!"

A black haired jounin with tradition garb and a sash on his waist said,"I gotta agree with that, we may not get another opportunity for them to truly work out there frustrations until the chunin exams..._If_ they even fight against one another."

"Exactly. So you see why I'm doing this? Consider it as their own exam before the exam."

**-Flashback End-**

"We take our notes, pick our kids, and do what we can to improve upon their weaknesses that we see from the tournament."

"Yes, well, either way this is to be a great event in our history!"

"Un. What did you just say?"

"Gaah! That coolness! Why?"

**-Stadium Grounds, Minutes Later-**

Standing in four rows before the hokage, all the shinobi present to take part in the tournament listened as their leader spoke about the rules and regulations of the contest. As he did so, his eyes locked upon three particular genin as he said,"Now, the rounds will proceed with everyone in three groups, however as time goes on there will become fewer and fewer of you until only three of you remain. Of those three, will the one to face us in one-on-one combat. Don't worry, whether you win or not, you will receive a prize for surviving to our matches. Now, without further ado, let the tournament begin!"

**-Viewing Area-**

As the ninja gathered within the designated place for them to watch the contestants, a proctor had come passing out papers to all declaring,"Those of you with the same numbers are all within the same team, you will be facing opponents in your same class level, or bracket. The remaining people will ultimately fight someone of higher/lower class respectively, and the winners of those shall move on to facing the hokage and sanin. Please take a moment to prepare yourselves, fights will commence in 3 minutes!"

As the shuffle to find groups began, some of the genin found themselves with their fellow classmates. Kiba noticed that he himself was with Shikamaru and some of the other genin who had been called to the academy meeting by Mei earlier in the week. Walking up, and greeting each other, the groups got accustom to those within their band before taking in the other teams.

Shortly after finding his group the Inuzuka turned and noticed Hinata over in the corner, and walking over; he found that she wasn't alone as she sat with Naruto, Mei, and Shino. Now, before he could turn around and walk back, the mahogany haired kunoichi called out to him.

"So, what are you doing here? I'm sure you found your teammates by now."

"I did, I was just coming by to see who my competition was, and let you all know that your goin' down!"

Chuckling, Naruto said,"Really now? I find that rather ironic, since you came all the way over here to boast such a claim with no proof..Well, good luck, I feel that you're gonna need it."

"Oh yeah! I've been training extra hard so that I could defeat _you_ blondie! Just wait, I'm gonna pummel into the dirt in front of everybody, and prove that for all your flash..you're still a dope."

That said, the dog-user stormed back over to his team as a girl with a black and pink kimono with a wide rimmed hat came over and stood next to Naruto. The young Uzumaki leaning back with a smirk present as he asked,"So, you happy with your results? You're with _him_..."

The shaking of her head the only visible sign of an answer before she spoke up saying,"I don't know what to do...I keeping thinking about what almost happened.."

Gently, the boy grasped at the girl's sleeve saying,"It was only a test...I warned you did I not?"

"Hai."

"Then, try to let it go."

_Cough, Cough_

The two found that they had an audience as Hinata sharply inquired,"Naruto..Who is this girl and what is she to you?"

Chuckling nervously, the sapphire eyed teen said,"What, you don't recognize her? It's Sakura."

Gaping was the immediate response as the pinkette took off her hat and revealed herself to the group. Mei was the first to speak saying,"Wow, I knew a change in clothes can do wonders, but I never expected this."

Even Shino, though appearing stoic, noticed the change within the young girl. 'Her chakra has increased, and it has a similar presence as Naruto for some reason. What is going on?'

After some other comments about how different she seemed, and the fact that her hair was cut short, she was about to turn to go back to her group when Ino's voice suddenly escalated saying,"S-s-Sakura! What in Kami's name happened to you?"

The group sat still as the rest of the genin squads came behind the blond to see what made her exclaim so loudly. Upon seeing the girl themselves, those that shared class with them each openly spoke their thoughts about her new countenance in various words. There were a few who were quiet, but those were the one's whom either didn't know her, or had an image to keep.

After explaining that she felt that she needed a new look to go with her training regimen, her fellow shinobi were a bit taken back, Ino most of all as she prodded,"What happened to you to make you completely cut off your hair?"

**-Flashback- (A/N:You are going to get a little lemon drop, so be warned.)  
**

Entering the pagoda left Sakura in a world of darkness momentarily as the door had immediately shut behind her. 'Great, now what?'

Taking a step forward, she noticed that she had triggered something as the floor began to shimmer in a dazzling violet color so bright she had to shield her eyes. Once the light died down, she uncovered her face, only to find who else but the object of her affection. "Sasuke-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because of you Sakura."

The answer was so direct, it actually took her back a ways as she processed it,' Sasuke, here? For me? This is too good to be true!'

'Exactly! It is to good to be true..'

"Sakura."

The jade eyed genin couldn't help but blush as she found herself face to face with her idol. With an "Eep!" that'd make Hinata's old self proud, she inched away from the boy as he continued to come forward.

"I want you...It's always been you..I don't know why I couldn't see it before, but I realize now that I can't live without you! I can't breathe, or think, and it's driving me insane!'

Stopping, she muttered,"R-really?"

"Hai."

As the onyx-eyed Uchiha tackled her in an embrace, Sakura seemingly melted into the boys arms as she thought to herself,'This can't be real..It's perfect.'

Slowly, the boy ended up on top of her as he craned down for a kiss. Not on the cheek, nor the forehead, but the lips...

_Ummmhh. _

"Sakura, I want you now...all of you."

"H-ungh-hai."

The Uchiha grasped at her breast, before moving down to cup her lower back. All the while grinding into her frame as he tongue-locked with her, she was so in bliss she didn't even feel the kunai being pulled from her pouch.

"Sakura-huh-I want you...soooo bad."

'Unh! This is bad! This can't be real, this has to be a dream!'

Sakura's mind replayed the message Naruto gave her, as if on cue.

_I must warn you; whatever you face within those walls...it is going to take something from you...whatever it believes is making your weak._

'What is it that's making me weak? How is it going to take it from me?'

"Sakura!"

She snapped back into reality as the ebony haired genin had cut her top open with the kunai, she could only scream his name as he tore at her dress, stripping her down to her bare essentials as a lustful gaze leveled upon her.

"I want you, and you're not fucking movin' fast enough..."

'Sasuke?'

Pinning her down and placing the blade right against her throat, Sasuke proceeded to do the one thing that every Kunoichi, no, that every female fears...

He began to desecrate her body...He was raping her..

The realization came as a sledgehammer to the chest would feel. She went cold, tears began to swell in her eyes as her body froze, and her breath left her. She was effectively drowning in fear and sorrow.

Turning her over, the Uchiha placed the knife to her throat as she started glancing back; salty spheres streaming down the sides of her cheeks.

'Sasuke..'

The ebony haired survivor moved the blade to her back as he seized the pinkette roughly by her long tresses,"You're going to be the tool with which I rebuild my clan! You should be grateful..._this_ is what you wanted isn't it?"

'No..This...this isn't what...I wanted..what I dreamed of.'

'_Let go..your feelings will release you from this nightmare.._'

Dripping to the floor, the translucent tears of the cherry blossom slowly decreased in number as Sasuke got himself prepared to invade her; a look of malignant pleasure fiercely evident. As the onxy-eyed genin closed in the giirl before him jerked forward, in an attempt to reign her in, he pulled back with a yell.

"Where do you think you're going?"

In the advent of their clash, Sasuke's hand slipped, and the following effect was the jade-eyed kunoichi falling face-first to the ground with her glistening pink locks drifting to floor between them.

"Kuso! Get up!"

A pulse tore through the room, freezing the boy where he knelt as his face blanked, worry taking the stead of malice.

"**_Yarou..._**"

The genin's eyes widened as he instinctively began backing up, trying to cling to the vicinity furthest from the massively concentrated killing intent.

"_You wanted me right? Well, now you have me.._"

The girl stood, severed hair cascading menacingly from her scalp, and covering her countnace from view.

" S-stay back..Please..D-don't kill me!"

Slowly, Sakura began taking steps toward the shriveling Uchiha.

"_Death is far more lenient than you deserve..**Sasuke.**_"

Grasping the air, the girl swept her arm before her, and from the nothingness formed a nodachi with a pewter colored blade and white hilt.

"_I won't kill you.._"

Stopped, the avenger found himself back to wall, his executioner trapsing forward; the epitome of death and the myriad of darkness and suffering.

"_I'm going to punish you for defiling **his** memory..I know that you aren't Sasuke , there's no way he could even remotely be interested in me, no matter how much I dream of it being so...Thus..._"

Standing over her target, the pink teen's hair ceased its parade, and upon raising her head to meet the boy's gaze...he froze..trapped within the dominion of her gaze.

"W-wh-what are you?"

"_Your end._"

She brought the blade to bear upon the cringing Uchiha's crown..

Sling!

There was no cry of fear...

No arterial shower to cover her frame...

No, there was merely a pool of scarlet expanding beneath the girl's feet.

Looking down into the growing pool underneath her...she blinked.

'Is..that..me?'

Gone were her usual green orbs; as now crimson irises ruled the space in their absence.

**-Flashback End-**

"A lot. Look don't worry about it."

Turning to Naruto, the girl smiled sadly and said,"Thank you Naruto-sensei..I'll see you again later..preferably on the battlefield."

"Of course. Good luck."

"You too."

As the girl walked away from the group, several individuals turned to speak with the blond, and a few continued gazing at the pinkette with concerned thoughts overflowing. However, before anyone could speak up, the proctor called out aloud to everyone.

"Alright! The tournament is officially underway, first match is Shino Aburame v.s. Shikamaru Nara. Will the contestants please come down to the field."

**& Fin &**

**(A/N): Pheew! (^^;) I'm so glad this chappy is over! Now, I can get to the better part that I know you all are looking forward to...The fights! Yay! Give me some time and I'll post the matches. **

**P.S.-If ANY of you want to see another fight outside of the requested/obvious Naru/Sasu fight. TELL ME NOW! I'll give you a week to get me your choices, after that I'm posting the ones I have as backup. Ja'ne.**


	18. AN:Head Up!

**(A/N):Hey there wonderful people! **

**As promised, the fight list:**

**Shino V. Shika**

**Mei V. Choji**

**Sakura V. Kiba**

**Tenten V. Naru**

**Neji V. Lee**

**Hina V. Ino**

**Sasu V. 4th Round winner[Guess]  
**

**(A/N): Soooo, what'd you think..Please give me reviews so I can hear your opinions..or message me if you don't wanna be open about it. Either is fine, but I have to know! ^^ See ya next time!**


	19. Dancing Leaves

**(A/N):Hello Fans! Here's the newest installment to the story! ^^ I know it took me a while , but I finally managed to sneak in enough time to write it up...well, here it is; enjoy!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**"Alright! The tournament is officially underway, first match is Shino Aburame v.s. Shikamaru Nara. Will the contestants please come down to the field." **_

**Ch. 18 Clashing Leaves (Tournament Pt. 2)  
**

Everyone grew silent as the mentioned two proceeded to the center of the field. Upon reaching the middle ground, the proctor said," Ready?"

Receiving nods, he called aloud for the match to begin and leapt to safer ground,"Hajime!"

The two shinobi stood semi-relaxed positions as they evaluated one another, and soon, they came to a decision as they flung kunai towards one another. The collision resulted in their flying into the ground between them as the boys went to once again launch an attack towards one another..

Shino raised his arms, facing towards his opponent as he spoke in a monotone voice,"Idō."

A buzz steadily emanated from the boy as insects poured from his sleeves,'This is bad, he's got me beat in distance...'

"Mendokuse."

A glance down revealed the swarm's shadow as his mind began to process his environment and what advantage they gave.

'Hmm...it's tricky, but that might work...'

Reaching into his pouch, the pineapple hair-styled shinobi quickly drew three and launched them, but the trajectory of the weapons drastically changed and they flew off into 3 opposite directions; one landing right next to the back of Shino's heel.

An eyebrow raise was the only indication of emotion, but what else would one expect of an Aburame?

"I believe you missed."

With a smirk present upon his lips, the Nara replied,"I don't."

Shino glanced back down, only to see the fuse of an explosive tag burning its last vestiges...

_Boom!_

Smoke, gravel, and shrapnel all expelled from the location as the kunai detonated. Peering through the haze, and not finding his opponent Shikamaru thought aloud,"Maybe I went a little too far..."

His eyes widened when he suddenly heard a voice say,"No, you didn't go far enough." Quickly performing two seals, the genius watched as shadows jumped from the ground in the form of needles, capturing the bug-user within its folds.

"Kage Nui: Complete."

"Again, not quite."

'Shino' began to melt away into a black mist as he spoke. The buzzing that came about afterwards told the lazy shinobi what had occurred,'A Clone?' Turning as he released his jutsu, the cloud from before was blown away by the breeze, revealing a large swarm of kikaichu revolving in a sphere.

"Mushikame."

'What? He used the explosion to hide his movements, but why'd he risk taking the full force of the explosion unless-'

"This is what a real trump card is..Mushidama."

As if on cue, the sphere surrounding the genin burst outward, rapidly heading towards its intended target. Flipping through a number of seals, the pineapple-haired ninja smirked once more as he ended with the rat seal,"Oi. Seems like we're at a draw Shino, wouldn't you say?"

After a moment's pause, the Aburame responded with an,"Agreed."

Those watching could see a thin black line stretching the distance and wrapped around the young Aburame, in the platform, a confused Kiba voiced his opinion. "What's going on, when did Shikamaru pull that one?"

A speculating chunin answered,"When the genin launched his jutsu it created a shadow leading directly to him, Nara-san, using the speed of his shadow technique took that exact moment to try his countermeasure...The rest is as you see them."

Mei, standing off to the side, spoke with a smile on her face," Bold. To attack at the same time as your attacker merely to force a draw, gotta say, these boys are good."

A jounin nodded, adding,"For genin to be able to plan that fast on the fly, then to execute it that well...this is truly going to be an exciting tournament." The statement earned several murmurs of similar thoughts as the proctor appeared down on the floor declaring the match a draw since neither ninja could ascertain victory, both were eliminated, a result that shocked all viewers up in the stands excluding the present shinobi.

**-Hokage Booth-**

The Hokage sat watching with his students on either side of him as they observed the contestants.

"I think the both of them are promising, they will do very well in the future."

"Hn. I agree, but when are we getting in? Plus, you never told me we weren't fighting each other, you old bag!"

A chuckle slipped from the hokage's mouth as he said to his students,"We will fight once there are three contestants left. I wanted to tell you that we were not engaging one another, but you were so full of fire, I decided to wait and let you find out on your own."

The white-haired sannin spoke to his teammate calmly as he watched the proceedings below,"It's gonna be all right Tsunade-hime. Just be patient, if these prodigies are anything like the old man told us, they should more than make up for the wait."

Huffing a bit, the blonde sannin replied in a concise,"Whatever."

**-Viewing Booth-**

As the proctor called another set of shinobi out to the arena, most ninja went to watch but Naruto stayed in his seat as he relaxed, waiting for his turn. As he did this, he felt a someone walk directly up to him, so cracking an eye open he saw Mei hovering over him.

"What do you want?"

A lecherous grin crept onto her face as she replied,"To be the mother of your children."

This got the reaction she was looking for as the blond shot straight up out of his chair and backed a few paces away; blush heavily searing his cheeks. Laughing as she moved, the wine-haired kunoichi sat down in the blonde's seat, and waited for her teammates response.

"You happy now?"

"Quite..hmmm, Naru-kun, your seat is so hot..I could cuddle up and go to sleep right here!"

"Che. Do whatever you like."

Turning his back, the genin felt a weight against him as he heard a smooth voice whisper in his ear,"Oh, I will...soon enough."

"Oi!"

Whipping around, he found Mei still in her seat, a 'Cat that got canary' smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, dear, you don't have to shout...I can hear you just fine."

"Argh! Know what, you're trying to make me angry, aren't you? I mean you taunt me in front of Jiji, you attack me at the training field, spill alomst all my info at the academy, and leave me with Sakura after you forced her to be there in the first place! Just what are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing."

Mei got up from the chair and slowly walked to Naruto with a sway in her hips, as she closed the space, she placed a finger on his chin and traveled around him in a circle; leaving her finger to trail her path across his body.

"I just want to have a little fun while I can, is that alright with you...Naru-kun?"

A splash of red hit his cheeks again as the girl traced her finger from his neck, up to his whiskers, and back down over his upper back as she continued to speak.

"Or should I be more creative? How about Hige? I like that..has a cute ring to it. What do you think..hige-kun?"

As she said this, she managed to slide around him again and get her appendage on his other cheek, then she stroked it ever so lightly that the boy couldn't help but have a reaction. He dashed to the chair as heat rose flush into his face, and as he sat he immediately crossed his legs and yelled,"K-kuso! W-w-w-what are y-y-you doing to me woman?"

The girl covered her laugh with her hand as Hinata came back, her observation was quick as she noticed something off with her blue-eyed partner,"Naru-kun, are you alright...You look a bit flushed."

As she came forward, she stumbled over something hard; Naruto rose to try and catch her as she flailed, trying to regain her lost balance, but instead collapsed onto her fellow nin. Mei burst out laughing as the two ended up in a tangled mess on the floor, opening their eyes they immediately turned crimson as they found themselves inches from the other's face, but what made it all the more...complicated was the enormous mound Hinata felt herself sitting upon as the blond twitched once and was then too embarrassed to move.

"Well, I gotta say. Old enough to kill, old enough to screw, but I never would've thought you were the public types."

The two jumped up, straightening whatever clothing was out of order as they glared daggers towards Mei, who stood a little ways from them still giggling to herself.

"With this round's winner decided, will Meikakushi Kurama and Choji Akimichi please come to the arena grounds."

All eyes focused on the two genin called, and as Mei turned to leave she glanced over her shoulder at the two as she said,"Wish me luck!"

As she left, she heard Ino yell,"Choji! Kick this bimbo's tail!"

Mei stopped right next to her and whispered just loud enough for her to hear,"Blondie..you're gonna want to watch this fight _very_ closely."

**(A/N): Well people, I know this has been a really long wait! Thank you for your patience! Hopefully this chap did its job and you all can read something else a tad bit happier lol Till next time fans! **

**Jutsu List:**

**Kage Nui-Shadow Sewing:A Yin Tech. made famous through the Nara Clan. It uses materialized shadows to attack and bind, instead of merely immobilizing and controlling like the Shadow Imitation. The user changes the shape of their shadow into several sharp needles and controls each separately and can then attack several targets simultaneously.**

**Mushikame-Insect Jar:A secret tech. of the Aburame clan. The jutsu creates a shield by having the kikaichu fly in a dome shape at high speeds after the user ends the hand signs.**

**Mushidama-Insect Sphere:Another clan tech. of the Aburame. This jutsu makes a globe of bugs around the opponent before completely trapping them.**


	20. Decimation

**(A/N): What's up fanfic lovers! This is yet another chapter from NSA..Enjoy!**

* * *

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

**Last time on Naruto: Sage of Amaterasu...**

_**"With this round's winner decided, will Meikakushi Kurama and Chōji Akimichi please come to the arena grounds."**_

_**All eyes focused on the two genin called, and as Mei turned to leave she glanced over her shoulder at the two as she said,"Wish me luck!"**_

_**As she left, she heard Ino yell,"Chōji! Kick this bimbo's tail!"**_

_**Mei stopped right next to her and whispered just loud enough for her to hear,"Blondie..you're gonna want to watch this fight **_**very**_** closely."**_

* * *

**CH.19** **Decimation**

As the two genin stood, the proctor couldn't help but feel the emotions emanating from them; Chōji, poor boy, was a large bundle of fear, as Mei lazily poured off KI in waves. With a sigh, the man leapt out of the way as he called for their match to begin.

"Come on Chōji, you can do it!"

Glancing back towards his teammate and friend, the boy thought,'As much as I appreciate the support, you're the one who got me here in the first place!'

A giggle brought the boy from his thoughts and back to his opponent, who with a small smile said,"Don't be too upset at your friend, fat boy, she just doesn't realize the situation for what it is."

The young Akimichi bristled at the weight jab, but if it was a wound, then the comment afterward was certainly dumped salt.

"Tell ya what, if you surrender now I'll take you out to one the high-end steak places...That way, you can fill your pudgy little frame to your hearts content."

He snapped. The teen yelled in fury as he gathered his chakra in a vibrant burst of blue and white, yet his voice was heard shouting curses of fatness and insulting his pride as a shinobi.

**Up In The Stands**

"Uh. Why'd she have to go and say that to _him_ of people."

The jounins sitting together glanced toward the lazy Shikamaru sitting by the railing as he spoke. Asuma asked,"What's wrong with that? I mean, insults are what people throw at one another all the time."

"It's not just that. Chōji has always been sensitive to being called chubby or fat, but it also sends him into a berserk rage whenever he hears anything insinuating a jab towards a person's overweight nature."

The shinobi around the boy got surprised expressions at this as Asuma thought to himself,'That could be an issue then, if he's too blinded by anger, it'll hinder his ability to perform properly..she couldn't have done this on purpose; could she?'

**Back In The Arena**

The boy was rampaging towards the girl, slinging punches and kicks at her that were highly..athletic for a boy of his stature. The mahogany-haired kunoichi deftly dodged and deflected all the blows before leaping back to give herself distance as she giggled once again.

"Wow, I figured you were soft against being insulted, tubby, but I never would've guessed it would work this well!"

Back in the viewport, Ino's voice was heard,"Chōji! Stop and think! You gotta-Eep!"

She gave a startled cry as a hand pulled her back away from the railing, when she noticed who it was that pulled her, she yelled,"What the hell Naruto! Why'd you do that?"

Saying nothing, the blonde merely pointed towards the roof, to see a kunai planted deeply into the ceiling...

"She aimed to kill you, I think that's her warning for you to shut up and let them fight Ino-san." answered Hinata for her teammate.

The girl guffawed and went back to the rail to silently watch on as her friend continued to needlessly chase his opponent around the stadium.

"**Nikudan Sensha!**"

The chub-I mean large pre-teen inhaled deeply as his torso swelled up like someone had inflated a balloon in his chest, and after tucking eac hof his appendages and head inside of his enlarged body, he began to roll...yes, _roll_ towards Mei at a slightly increased rate of speed.

Up in the stands and booth, both Ino and Shikamaru had surprised looks on their faces as they thought.

'Wow, I knew he said he was training hard, but I never thought he was serious!'

Mei laughed roughly the entire time, as if the entire thing was comical, and also in the port Naruto went to sit down in his chair once more. Seeing this, Ino turned momentarily to face the blond and said,"Naruto, what are you doing! The fights not over and you have no rea-"

"Actually, that fight was over from the start."

"What?"

"I don't watch pointless fights, nor do I want to see Mei toying around with her opponent."

Before she could verbally retaliate, Sakura and Hinata came and sat down on the seats surrounding him, and spoke about a similar topic...to say Ino was flabbergasted, would be the understatement of the year, she yelled at the other genin,"W-w-how can you all have such little faith in your fellow genin for a girl who none of us even know!"

With a smirk on his face, the blond male merely shrugged and said,"Simple, you don't know me...none of you do."

At that time, the proctor's voice was heard,"Winner! Mei Kurama!"

The girl came back into the stands with a small smirk on her face and her eyes closed, and when she walked next to Ino, she whispered just loud enough for only her to hear.

"If you interrupt my match like that again, next time, Naruto won't have an opportunity to save you."

Then she walked back to her seat as the proctor called out," This completes the first round of the tournament, we will now move onto the second, will Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka step out into the arena."

As the two walked out, Kiba hooted about how easy his fight was gonna be, and that he was gonna then kick the 'Dobe's' ass in front of everyone. Sakura, with a sigh, stood and solemnly marched to the field.

"Sakura."

"Hai sensei?"

Turning the girl saw her blond instructor sitting with a sly grin on his face,"Don't beat on him too bad.."

Smiling, the girl replied,"Only enough to put him in his place."

A nod from the Uzumaki sent her out to her fight.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

The black clad cherry blossom nodded as her opponent growled out,"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Then, hajime!"

As the man vanished, the dog-user laughed as he pulled his partner out saying,"Ha, I won't even break a sweat."

A few barks from the pup had the boy saying,"Yeah, yeah. I know. But she was trained by that loser, so it's not like she's gotten any much stronger...Don't care who they _say_ he's worked with."

All the while, Sakura stood there, hand resting upon the hilt of her sword with her hair covering her face as the boy got ready.

"Oi! Ya know, before you were a freakin' washboard. Now, you're a real babe, so how about if I win you go out on a date with me."

A tremor swept her frame before she glanced over to the blond above her, glancing back towards the unruly genin, she responded cooly,"And should you lose?"

"If I lose?..Hahaha! I'll be your slave for the rest of the week! Not that that's likely."

With an extremely mischievous gleam in her eye, the pinkette answered,"Deal."

As soon as the words left her lips, she drew a kunai and threw it all in one rapid fluid motion. The duo jumped away from one another shocked by the speed of the action, yet as it sailed in between them, they sniffed as their eyes got even bigger than before.

'What is that?'

The resulting explosion had unexpectedly launched the pair away from one another as Sakura flipped through a few handseals and called out calmly,"**Hiton:Chirensa Soutei.**" Chains of metal shot out from the ground beneath the puppy as it barked something to Kiba, but before anything could happen, the dog was held fast by all four paws.

"Akamaru!"

"Now, it's just you and me...mut."

**In The Booth**

"Well, sensei, who is this Sakura girl; I've never seen that move before."

The Professor spoke,"She's a genin, and, I-I'm not familiar with that either."

The blonde sannin replied with a shocked expression,"You don't even know that? What did she create it then?"

The old man shook his head as a smile came to his lips,"No, but I have a feeling I know who did."

Jiraiya asked,"Who? I'd like to meet them."

"You will, quite soon if my guess is right."

**Arena**

Kiba growled as he charged forward, contorting into a rapid spiral as he called out,"**Tsūga!**"

A well timed leap to the side placed Sakura out of harm's way, and once more chains burst from the ground, this time snapping the twisting ninja down face first...His roars and growls of anger rattling throughout the arena as he tried to escape the jutsu.

"I won't collect on our agreement Kiba, but next time, listen to your pup before doing something you end up regretting."

"Winner, Sakura Haruno! Will Tsuka Moreno and Kaede Tachibana please come to the floor."

**Up In The Stands**

The crowd was amazed, and the shinobi were stunned, they had never known a jutsu like that existed.

The jounin sensei watched with wide eyes as the girl battled, Might Guy recovering first spoke towards his associate,"That was embarrassingly quick..Kakashi, have you ever heard of a technique like that before?"

A shake of the head was his friend's response as the cyclops spoke,"I can't see where the chains come from, it's as if they just originated from..nowhere."

Anko smirked widely as she said her piece,"Now that's my kind of girl! That's a useful jutsu, I may have to ask her where she learned it, and see if she'll let me use..talk about a great torture tool!"

Her partner kunoichi shook her head as she spoke up,"Anko...Anyway, that does look useful, I could find ways to use that myself."

**Viewing Port**

The shinobi blinked as the fight ensued, Hinata, Naruto, and Mei all watched along with the other genin as the bubblegum girl schooled her opposition. Some of them sent wary glances towards the blonde boy as they recalled her earlier statement of being trained by said person. As the young kunoichi came back to her friends and teacher, Tenten came forward with a confounded expression.

"Yes Tenten, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Well, is what Mei said earlier true? And if so just how strong are you, I mean, from what I've been hearing Sakura was never that strong...no offense to her, but, for her to get where she is-"

The Uzumaki chuckled aloud before answering the girl's questions in a matter-of-fact tone,"Huh...yea, what she told you all is true. I don't really know how strong I am, that's what this contest is for to me, and Sakura has gotten to where she is on her own; I've done nothing more than show her a few things. She is a valuable ninja, and a very hard worker...you may want to be careful, she might just give you a run for your money."

"Will Naruto Uzumaki and Tenten Higasha proceed to the grounds."

The two stopped, time slowed to a drag as they gazed into each other's eye. Tenten's countenance taking a shocked determination, while the blond adorned a simple smirk. Space caught up with them, and they both headed for the stadium ring, Naruto whispering to his companion as they went.

"I may just give you a run for your money as well."

* * *

Those that knew the two before them watched with a silent urgency, waiting to see what the genin sensei had to show for himself in terms of skill. The brunette grinned as the proctor questioned them, and brought her hands to her sides in a quick draw stance...the showdown commenced with one word.

In a blur of movement, the bun-haired kunoichi fired off three sets of shuriken and kunai, each headed straight for their target. The smirk never left the boy's face as he 'danced' smoothly; deftly weaving through the projectiles with all the grace of a master choreographer...

'He's good, he hasn't even drawn a weapon to defend himself; I can't...won't let him toy with me.'

"I'm gonna make you take me seriously!"

She charged as she continued her downpour of weaponry, the boy before her still maneuvering between them. When she got within range she launched into a flying jump kick with a cry, the attack easily being sidestepped as her opponent drew a kunai. She summoned a kusarigama and flung it in his direction, the assault being deflected away as the female brought out a pair of scrolls...

**Viewing Port**

"Neji, is that-"

"Yes. She's going to use it, I'm surprised really. I thought she'd wait before resorting to that jutsu."

Ino turned to the older Hyuuga and asked,"Hey, what do you mean..what is in those scrolls?"

Without looking elsewhere, the boy responded,"Her greatest technique."

**Arena**

Naruto rose an eyebrow upon seeing what Tenten had brought out, and in defense he threw his kunai and drew his wakizashi thinking,'Well this should be interesting.'

Placing the scrolls down, the girl jumped skyward as the scrolls released two spiraling dragons of smoke and spun as she let loose her technique on the blonde,"**Sōshōryū!**"

A hailstorm of summoned tools begins to fall upon the boy, who sheathes his blade before performing a few handseals and calling out,"**Futon: Kazekiri Bakudan no jutsu!**"

Gathering wind within his palm, Naruto created a sphere of whirlwind-pressure air and threw it forward. When it left his hand, it exploded into dozens of wind waves that collided with or destroyed the barrage of weaponry aimed at his person. The wind continued on its path, striking the bun-haired kunoichi and knocking her out of the air as she was caught off guard by the unknown jutsu. As she fell, Naruto caught her before she hit the ground in a bridal style carry, and as he carried her out of the arena the proctor came back into the fold.

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki! Now, will these next two competitors come down...Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee."

**Stands**

"I can't believe it...that is the class dead-last? He beat his opponent with one jutsu, and one that I've never heard of before either; just like that Sakura girl. What is going on?"

Kakshi turned a little to see Yugao sitting by them, and knowing the woman's relationship with the genin, he asked her what he wanted to know.

"Yu-chan, just how are these genin performing techniques we've never seen before?"

A smile was etched on her lips as she spoke,"Simple. Naruto-kun is a prodigy when it comes to creating jutsu, as is Hinata-chan, so my guess would be that Sakura is learning from Naruto since she can use his Hiton technique."

The jounin were in awe, the boy who was supposedly the worst shinobi of his group turns out to be the most creative and skilled! It was as if someone had flipped the world to its side.

"Brilliant! Naruto's flames of youth burn with a blazing passion of magnificence! YOSH!"

A slightly irked Anko said,"Shut it Guy, by the way, your other two genin are about to face one another."

**Booth**

"Eto, was that-?"

"Yes. That is his son, and he already knows who his parents are."

Both sannin turned to their instructor as the information he told them sunk in.

"You mean that-"

A nod came before he finished saying,"He lives in his father's home now, and has access to his rightful inheritance as well. You both are in for an interesting fight depending on whoever gets the opportunity to go up against him."

**Viewing Area**

As the two called genin strolled towards the floor, Mei came over to Lee before he hopped over the railing.

"Hey, take this."

"Umm, Mei-san, what is it?"

"Something that I want you to drink from only after the proctor begins the match. Think of it as, a gift from me to you saying good luck and knock him out."

"O-okay, I will do as instructed. Thank you for your support!"

**Arena**

"Are you two ready?"

"Neji, this has been a dream of mine for a very looong time..I want to fight you full out, no holding back!"

"Why? You know you can't beat me, you have been destined to fail against someone of my strength, and I will merely prove it to you once more here."

"Begin!"

The two immediately flew into a clash of blows, kicks and punches began to blur as the two parried, blocked, or counter the other's every move. As the two went on, eventually Lee was sent backwards by a palm strike from Neji, skidding to a halt a good two meters away.

"You see Lee? I am never going to lose to you, fate has determined this."

In frustration, the bushy-brow genin glanced at the gourd in his hand, and after a moments hesitation downed the contents in three swallows. With a filled sigh, the boy staggered a little bit with a hiccup, yet tossing the bottle away; a flush grew on his cheeks as a smile stretched across his features. Lee was drunk.

"Ya know, hiccup..I always thought you were a bit of prick Neji-wedgy. You never showed hiccup..either of us any respect above servants! Today,...hiccup..that changes." slurred the now intoxicated teen as he fell into a shaky stance. His teammate, on the other hand, chuckled a bit seeing the display being put on before him as he responded in an amused manner.

"Really? Fine, Lee, I'll take you up on that offer of yours...we fight all out, no holding back. Now, let me show where your place is!"

Flying forward, the Hyuuga genius lashed out with a palm strike right for the face, yet suddenly the world rotated and he found himself on the ground. 'What in the name of Kami was that?'

Standing up the brunette went at it again, this time aiming for a swipe at the boy's ribs, but again he found himself face first in the dirt..with a weight on his back that suddenly lifted as he glanced to see Lee flipping from a handstand to a relaxed slouching position.

**Stands**

"How could this have happened?"

The senseis turned to Guy as he held a fearful and shocked face. Kurenai voiced what was on the others' minds as she probed,"Guy what's wrong?"

"That stance! L-L-Lee isn't himself anymore..."

Anko then asked in gruff tone,"What are you talkin' about! Spit it out already."

"Lee's drunk."

Kakashi now interjected saying,"Yes. That we know, so what's the big deal?"

"You don't understand..Lee is highly susceptible to alcohol..and even the smell of it can turn him into a berserker that took me using 2 of the gates to subdue, and the stronger the drink, the deadlier he becomes...he's a natural-born drunken boxer."

The surprise on the group's face would've been a true blue kodak moment..if it weren't that Might was serious. As they watched the match below, they all hoped that Lee wouldn't kill his competition in his drunken rage.

**Viewing Area**

"Mei!"

Said girl faced her speaker, who was Hinata with a small smile as she answered,"Yes?"

"What did you do to Lee? Why is he acting like that?"

"Nothing, I gave him a little sake to help relax his mind...seems to be working."

"I can't believe you would do something like that!"

Waving the girl off, the mahogany kunoichi replied,"Oh, don't worry. He'll be fine, I'd be more worried about that Hyuuga Neji if I were you. Looks like he's gonna get a real ass-kickin' the way he's goin'."

"What? You can't-"

"Shh...just watch the match girlie, we can talk afterward; after all, your cousin is involved."

**Arena**

Neji was pissed, all his work to beat his spandex-wearing opponent was turning into no more than a rodeo act than an actual match...with himself being the entertainment.

'Why can't I hit him? Any other time, I mop the floor with this loser; now, I'll be lucky if get more than that earlier palm strike! Was...was he toying with me all this time...letting me win because he knew he was better than me? That bastard!'

With an angry roar, the boy dropped down into a stance that many a ninja were familiar with..

"You are within my range of divination, **Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!**"

Coming in close, the Hyuga began with two thrusts as he called out,"2! 4! 16! 32! 64!"

Lee blurred into a drunken ballet; bobbing out of the first two, weaving away from the second, leaning back into a back handspring, and pirouetting around the last set before launching his fist into the Hyuuga's abdomen. The attack never connected as the boy's byakugan flared to life and he grabbed the extended arm, flipping over his target, he unleashed three devastating blows to Lee's back as he called out once more.

"**Byakugan Sandageki!**"

The final strike flipped the boy forward, yet as he flew, the bowl-cut genin managed to pull of an impressively powerful reverse axe kick that launched Neji straight into the air. Catching himself to land in a crouch, the mini-Gai followed up with a leaping uppercut with what looked like flame on his fist, and finished it off with a spinning back kick as he slurred aloud,"**Konoha Wakai Arashi.**"

The two landed in a heap, neither one moving a single inch, until Lee stood up on shaky legs with a red glow and a wide smile.

"I won! Ha! Wudda ya say about fate now, Neji-wedgy!"

After his outburst, he hiccuped and fell to the ground, unconscious but smiling. So, after a moment the proctor came in and declared the match a draw as medics came and collected them in stretchers. As this went on he began calling out the next set of contestants involved.

**Viewing Area**

The viewers of the match were in shock, they had never seen such a vicious display of taijutsu, yet they were even more amazed by the fact that one of the two was completely drunk as he battled. Naruto laughed openly as he made his observation known.

"I can't believe Lee is that good even while hammered! Who'd have thought...I may have to take him up on that offer of a spar after all."

Hinata looked at Mei with a gaze that would turn Medusa to a block of ice in a staring contest. Said female merely smiled as she said,"I didn't expect it to be that entertaining...Lee really proved himself in my eyes."

"How can you say that? You were the one who gave him sake!"

Shrugging the reply came as,"He looked like he needed to relax...besides, it's not like I knew he was a drunken boxing prodigy or anything."

"You-you-!"

"Will Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka proceed to the floor."

The girl looked a bit shocked at the sudden calling of her name, before a mask of stoic indifference fell into place. The pale blonde appearing at her side as she said,"I've been waiting for this...Hinata."

With a cold smirk, she responded,"I see, so you want to see where you belong...Well, I'll be glad to demonstrate that for you, Yamanaka-san."

* * *

The crowd stirred a bit at the mention of another two esteemed shinobi clansmen making their way to the floor. Their noise was silenced however, by the sheer tension between the two girls, it was as if someone laid a wet blanket onto of the area during summer's evening.

"You ready?"

"Why of course...Ino-san, are you?"

"Yeah, I've been working hard up to this point, I want to take that high-horse from right under you!"

"Then, hajime!"

Not even a second after the words left his mouth, Hinata vanished.

No blur, or dust cloud present, she just...disappeared.

'What? How in the world-'

"Ino-san."

The girl looked down to see Hinata's hand only centimeters from her heart, she paled **(A/N:if that was anymore possible)** and the Hyuga princess merely stood up and walked away as she spoke,"This match was over before it even started Ino-san...your techniques have to be able to keep up with their target, or otherwise you leave yourself open, your taijutsu has to be strong or you'll be trapped, and you mind must be clear or else you risk losing in a mental battle that if you can't catch the target leaves you just as vulnerable as before. You only have family jutsu to rely on...while I only need my familial techniques to beat you. Hopefully you keep up with the training, you might make it to my level one d-"

She froze suddenly, her body still enough resemble a rooted tree, yet once more it simply vanished.

"**Shukūken****.**"

A millisecond later, Ino was slumped against the wall, a web of spider cracks forming from the impact.

"Winner, Hinata Hyuga! This is the close of the second round, we will begin the next stage of the tournament after a fifteen minute break for our contestants."

**Stands**

"Hinata is truly a frightening genin, to be able to perform afterimages at her age..."

The scarecrow looked to his rival to see the man actually serious for the second time today.

'If this keeps up, he may actually turn out to be a normal ninja in my book.'

"Gai, what's wrong now? That girl moved way too fast for a genin."

"I agree. However, that's not what scares me."

This had all the jounin's attention as the bush-brow nin explained his thought,"She was moving that fast...and I believe that she had weights on her, if not actual ones..then seals for such."

Silence ruled as the group had nothing to say for such a startling revelation.

**Viewing Area**

"Wow, that girl's come a long way...hasn't she?"

"That she has...though I want to know just what she's been doing while she was gone."

"I don't, it'd be boring to know what all your opponent is capable of before you get into the fight. Let her have her secrets Naruto, besides, you have yours.."

"That is none of your concern..Mei. Anyway, who do think we're gonna end up fighting in the finals?"

"Jumping ahead to the finale are we? Someone's gotten cocky."

"Not cocky, I know that I'm going to fight Sasuke next...I just feel that it's gonna happen, so once I put him in his place...then what?"

"I don't know. I'm not a psychic, and I can't see the future...so we'll end up pulling straws I'm sure."

Naruto and Mei stood near the railing to watch the fight...if it could be called that, and were discussing the progress of their third genin partner. As said female came back to her friends, they overheard the proctor begin again,"People, we have once again started the tournament, so will the finalists please come to the grounds."

Obeying, the ninja stood before the proctor, who in turn handed them a folded piece of paper.

"When I say, open your sheets and tell me your number...This is to determine who fights in the next circuit, and is to determine who shall then go on to face the hokage and sannin."

One by one, each number was called, and when it was complete the man smiled as he said aloud.

"The rounds are as follows:

Sasuke Uchiha V.s. Naruto Uzumaki Hyuga  
Sakura Haruno V.s. Meikakushi Kurama  
Hana Inuzuka V.s. Hinata Hyuga

Will all other contestants please head to the viewing area except for the first two called."

The crowd was buzzing with anticipation as they watched the famed last Uchiha battle the 'supposed' dead last of Konoha. Everyone was silently waiting for the beginning of such a shut-out match.

Booth

"So, seems like things are finally getting interesting around here old man. Took you long enough."

A dry chuckle escaped him as Sarutobi spoke up,"Well, I needed to see the potential of all my shinobi Tsunade, I can't randomly pick favorites and fight them at will. These types of things are necessary for a hokage at times."

"Whatever, I just wanna kick some ass, I'm getting cramps sitting in this damn chair!"

"Haha relax Tsunade-hime. We'll all get our chances once this round is finished..I know I wanna see this kid in action for real."

"Hmmm, you and me both."

'I got money ridin' on this thing.'

Viewing Port

Hinata stood next to Sakura and Mei as they watched the fight before them about to commence. The girls each had their thoughts on the results of the match, but kept quiet all the while as shinobi gathered around them voicing their own picks for victor.

Arena

"Are you ready?"

"Hn."

'This loser's gonna pay...for everything.'

Naruto merely nodded as he stood, nonchalantly gazing into the clouds with his hands in his pockets. The smallest of smirks placed on his face when the Uchiha spoke,"Oi, dobe. I'm gonna take that sword from you once this is all over."

"Tsk tsk tsk. Sasuke, how can you claim to barter for something when you have nothing that I would want in your possession? That seems quite unfair doesn't it?"

"Fine, then name your price. I'll let you have whatever you want should you win."

"Whatever you say...Well, seeing as you're targeting something near and dear to me why don't we go with...your eyes."

The crowd seemingly gasped at that. No one had expected the boy to ask for something as..personal as that.

"No way, dobe, what kind of a fucked up request is that?"

"You see, this sword is a personal moment of my late sensei. So, for you to ask for something like that, I'd prefer you see just what you were basically asking me to put on the line for your childish amusement. Now, since you get my point let's get on with this show."

On cue, the proctor leapt from the area with a call for the match to begin...

**[_Fin_]**

* * *

**(A/N): Well, this is the conclusion to the chapter! Hopefully you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! I really had fun trying to do this in the least number of moves...there's a reason for it, but remember, everyone at least got one! Now, tell me what you think of the Drunken Lee V. Neji fight..I want to know if I did an okay job. Anyways, thanks for all of your support, and I'll see ya next time! (^^)V ~Deuces.  
**

**Jutsu List:**

**Nikudan Sensha:Human Bullet Tank****-The user makes themselves into a human-sized ball. They tuck their limbs inside their clothes and use chakra to propel themselves into a slow, but powerful, roll.**

**Tsūga:Passing Fang-User spins at a ferocious speed and delivers powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made. The results of human contact can be extremely damaging, as it can readily tear through thick tree branches and earth style defense jutsu; all possessing a thicker radius than the technique.**

**Sōshōryū:Twin Rising Dragons-Tenten places two small scrolls in the floor. Once activated, the two scrolls release smoke while ascending in the air in the shape of two dragons made of smoke. Tenten then jumps between the two scrolls, and starts to summon and throw weapons in a powerful barrage. should the initial attack fail, she can control the discarded weapons with wires attached to her fingertips for a secondary assault. However, with the projectiles being thrown, wind techniques are an automatic downfall to the jutsu.**

**Futon: Kazekiri Bakudan no jutsu:Wind Release: Wind Cutter Bomb Technique-User draws a small whirlwind into their palm, and throws it towards the enemy. Without a "shell" the winds revert back into air waves that slice and buffet anything in its path.(A/N: Made up)  
**

**Shukūken:Palm Heel Strike-A rapidly precise thrust of the users' palm to an opponent, and as with most 'Gentle Fist' techniques, it sends chakra to the body and will temporarily paralyze a target.**

**Hakke Rokujūyon Shō:Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms-This technique closes off the flow of chakra in one's chakra pathway through sealing tenketsu. Once someone is in range of the user's divination field, the user assumes a Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver the attack. Each set of strikes is done in an exponentially increasing amount of speed and strength; the attack not only disables the enemy, but also knocks them back with each set of strikes.**

**Byakugan Sandageki:Byakugan Three Strikes-A taijutsu maneuver that impliments Neji's agility, by grabbing his opponent and flipping over them, he uses his byakugan to attack three major tenketsu in his target's backside along the spine.**

**Konoha Wakai Arashi:Youthful Leaf Tempest-Lee, in his drunken stupor, randomly created the technique by performing a reverse axe-kick to send his opponent into the air. He followed this up with a SFKen styled uppercut, and ends it with a spinning back kick. It's a powerful attack, but it also has side-effects for Lee, being as it's a lot of motion for him in an intoxicated state. (A/N: Made Up)  
**

**Hiton:Chirensa Soutei-Hidden Release:Earth Chain Binding-This is an ancient technique that creates chains from the ground in order to pin an enemy in place. This is usually a set up jutsu for a number of different finishing moves, and as the attack comes from below, it normally forces the opposition into a dangerous position either held down in chains or left open in the** **air. (A/N:Made up)**


	21. Nightmares And Placements

"**Katon:Goukyaku no jutsu!**"

A medium-sized fireball erupted from the Uchiha as he exhaled into his hand. Naruto didn't even flinch as the flames hit him; they merely burst outwards, becoming a ring of charred earth encompassing the blonde.

'What?'

"Sorry, but a jutsu of that strength won't do a damn thing against me...Sasuke."

The comment made its mark as the ebony eyes of the genin narrowed in anger.

'He's insulting me me! But, how'd he block my katon technique? He didn't even move!'

Flipping through seals, Sasuke called out,"**Katon:Hosenka no jutsu!**"

Exhaling brought forth another round of flaming spheres, but this time, the Uzumaki barely moved, only clearing the attacks with a smirk on his face.

"Huh, you wouldn't happen to know any other moves, would you, if not I'll have to end this now."

The avenger answered in an agitated voice,"You keep insulting me...Fine, I was hoping to use this against the sannin in the finals, but seems like you'll have to do."

Naruto lazily threw a kunai in his opponent's direction, the latter of which ducked the projectile, yet his hair fell over his eyes casting his face in shadow. With a nod, the genin thought,'So, he does have it after all...This'll be good.'

Standing, the genin of the year rushed forward with a roar. His target fluidly dodged a roundhouse combination, ducking the following haymaker, and front flipping over the low spin kick that came in sequence. Turning around with an overhead swing, the 'gaki' calling aloud,"**Katon:Ensho.**" From two fingers, a stream of fire erupted and whipped towards the crouched boy, forcing him into a one-handed cartwheel and back-handspring as he revealed his familial legacy to the world...

The Sharingan had awaken, and was spinning madly inside the raven-haired Uchiha's eyes.

**Viewing Port**

"Hmmmm, looks like things just got complicated."

Slightly looking to the girl, both Sakura and Hinata asked,"What do you mean?"

Sighing and shaking her head, the mahogany kunoichi replied,"With Sasuke's activation of the sharingan, Naruto now has to avoid getting his techniques copied by that annoying child."

**Arena**

'When'd he do the seals for that, there's no way the dobe did it without them.'

A laugh came from Naruto as he spoke.

"Ya know Sasuke, your more of an idiot than I thought!"

"What did you say?"

"Your 'secret weapon' has three major flaws.."

**Stands**

All people present were astounded, they couldn't believe that the fight had turned out to be so...entertaining. Those that believed the fight was going to be a swift one were practically choking on those thoughts as the blonde was effectively trouncing the Uchiha. Now, to hear that the Sharingan, the pride and joy of Konoha had flaws was truly something that had everyone's attention.

Kakashi's face was in a furious scowl; here his student was, about to expose not only his teammate but his own flaws wherein using their hidden ace, publicly... To say he was upset would be to say dishcloths get wet when used properly.

**Arena**

"Firstly, it's famous. Any and everyone can figure what it looks like and what it does if they ask an educated shinobi. That being the case, it's pretty much second nature that there are ways around it, this leading to my second point.. You, the user, has to see the handsigns in order to accurately copy the jutsu yet if it's not the full array you _still_ can't copy it. Example A being just now, could you copy what I did?"

The growl emanating from the Uchiha made the blonde's smirk widened a bit as he continued," Finally, you and your all-powerful doujutsu have to be able to keep up with your target. If you can't keep pace, it's pretty safe to say, your eyes can't either. In which case, you lose to me in all aspects, so if I were you, I'd put those eyes away before I show you just how useless they are in this fight."

The raven genin stormed forward with an enraged roar, as he closed in on the boy he shouted, "Yarou! I'll let you see the power of the Uchiha and show you right where your place is!"

Circling around his opposing genin, he went through a few seals before yelling,"Beneath me! **Katon: Ryūka no jutsu!**"

Exhaling, the kekkei genkai user produced an enormous stream of flame that flew towards the young Uzumaki. Halfway there, the jutsu broke down into several small blazing dragons and attacked the boy from different angles. A malicious smile stretched the shinobi's lips as he saw his attack connect, yet it soon was replaced by a look of shock as he watched the flames waver and dissipate from the his target's form..and with not a single hair out of place.

"W-what the hell?"

A look of amusement was on Naruto's face as he gazed at his opponent, the smirk hadn't once faltered from his features.

**Viewing Area**

"I-I can't believe this; Naruto, of all people, is evenly matched with Sasuke." Ino stated with an expression of awe, to which Mei remarked,"It looks like he's beating Sasuke to me."

The pale blond was making to retort when Sakura shook her head and spoke,"He's toying with him. Testing him, he's seeing if he can even marginally get serious about this fight."

Hinata followed suit while nodding,"He always does that, unless he already knows that he is encountering a threat."

Choji interjected as he ate a single chip,"Is it just me, or is he using a bunch of jutsu that are new and unheard of? Come to think of it, he hasn't used a jutsu that I recognize yet."

Mei smirked as she responded,"Then pay attention, cause here one comes."

**Arena**

Placing his hands into a cross shape, the Namikaze child started up his signature jutsu with a bored voice,"**Kage bunshin no jutsu.**"

Smoke erupted from his position as the jutsu was performed, yet when the smoke cleared, the boy was still standing in his original spot. Sasuke glared at his fellow nin before laughing aloud,"You dobe! You failed at the one thing you spam? How pathetic."

**Kage's Booth**

The hokage shook his head as a chuckle escaped his throat,"That Naruto is really something else."

Jiraiya nodded absent-mindedly as he asked,"Sensei, did he just do what I think he did?"

Smiling, the old kage said,"Wait and see, Jiraiya, we shall both find out momentarily."

**Arena**

Suddenly, Naruto was chin-level in the dirt as Sasuke stood over him muttering,"**Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu.**"

Glancing up, the blond cheerfully said,"Wow, Sasuke! Ya got me! Not."

In that instant the blond shinobi vanished in a small burst of smoke, and a green light shone from underneath the ebony-eyed ninja. Looking down, the Uchiha noticed that he was paralyzed, and then he saw that it was a seal array that encompassed him and prevented his movement.

'I-I can't move! What the hell is this, some kind of genjutsu?'

In the corner of his vision, he saw Naruto in a relaxed stance, with his hands in his pockets. Sweat broke out on the boy's brow as he struggled to fight off the apparent hold of whatever it was keeping him pinned.

"Oi, duckass. You're within my field of divination. **Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho.**"

A yellow blur was all the last Uchiha saw before his body flared with pain, and all through it he heard the voice of his opposition counting,"2.4..8..16...32..64...128!"

The combo ended with a powerful open palm strike to the sternum, effectively removing the black-haired teen from the other's presence.

"Don't bother getting up, this fight is over. Without chakra your sharingan is useless, and without that you don't even come close to standing a chance against the jyuken..If you can't fight without those oh-so-precious eyes of yours, you have no right to even consider yourself strong."

The proctor appeared and proclaimed the winner of the match as said teen calmly walked back to his chair to recline.

**Stands**

The crowd was stunned. They had just witnessed the impossible, a non-Hyuga doing one of their techniques without a Byakugan in a perfect display of skill against an Uchiha. One shinobi muttered,"I never thought that was possible." A kunoichi with long black hair, deep red eyes with a ring in the iris, and a battle kimono thought out loud,"Amazing. To complete outclass the Uchiha using a Hyuga move without the use of a kekkei genkai...truly fascinating."

**Kage booth**

Jiraiya sat back with a nod and a smile on his face,"As I thought, kage bunshin."

Tsunade, her countenance that of calculation, spoke aloud her thoughts."Mei was right, he is strong, and it seems he was holding back still."

The professor chuckled once again as he responded to his students' queries,"Quite true, a master in the art of deception this one is. He will be a wildcard for whoever he faces, now to see who else will be joining him."

**Viewing Area**

As the genin proceeded to his chair, Hinata and Sakura waited by the steps for his arrival, as he closed in they glomped him with a cry of delight. Hinata, the first to calm down, gleefully spoke first,"That was an amazing match Naru-kun! I'm glad you used the Hyuga clan technique to put him in his place!"

Sakura, a little red in the cheeks, answered immediately after her fellow kunoichi.

"Naruto-sensei, that was very well fought on your part. I didn't know you could perform the jyuken without the Byakugan...truly an eye opening battle for all of us."

"Eto..arigato, but girls, your matches are gonna be up soon. Good luck, and I hope that you fight smart, not so much in the hard department."

"Now, will Meikakushi Kurama and Sakura Haruno proceed to the floor!"

The pinkette blinked before her visage donned a look that would make a Hyuga jealous as she proceeded to the arena floor.

"Sakura."

Turning, she looked directly into Naruto's cerulean orbs as he said humorlessly,"Be careful."

A nod was her answer as she walked away. The blunette spoke as she stood beside her partner,"You're worried about her, aren't you."

"Of course I am. Mei isn't going to go easy on her, and she expects Sakura to truly be a decent opponent. I taught her as much as I could within the grounds of what Muramasa-sensei taught me and then some, yet, I fear it won't be enough against the wielder of Tsukiyomi's bond."

"I..see. Then come, the least we can do is support your student from the rails..she's gonna need it."

* * *

The proctor stood between the two girls with a sense of grim anticipation, he could sense the killing intent these two were emitting, and it was starting to make him sweat. 'These two...they're only genin, but they feel like two jounin about to fight to the death.'

After reminding them of the rules, particularly the ones about killing, the shinobi called for the start of the match and leapt from the arena posthaste.

Neither female moved as the breeze came through, picking up their hair in its gentle caress. Mei wore an expression akin to stone as she stood with her 'cane' before her. Sakura, for her part, looked on with calm apathy; her mind, however, was racing a mile a minute.

'Just how am I gonna beat her? Even with the training from Naruto-sensei, there's no way I'm a match for her! I'm gonna have to truly play this one by ear and stay on my toes.'

A smirk crept onto the 'blind' kunoichi's face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Sakura, you feel quite a bit stronger from last time we spoke. It seems Naruto's training actually did pay off well."

A nod was given before the young Mibu heir found her voice,"Hai. It did indeed."

A giggle was heard from the mahogany teen as she replied,"Good, because I would hate for this to be boring. So-"

The girl vanished from view as Sakura braced herself, summoning her chakra into her legs. Her senses screamed at her to move, and she did, just in time to see a crater form from the axe kick that Mei had unleashed on her position. Glancing in her direction, the older teen finished,"Show me what level of power you have attained, Sakura Haruno."

**Booth**

Tsunade was in shock, here her second student was with a blow that could easily rival her own in sheer strength, and she managed to do it without chakra.

A cough was heard from her teammate as he gawked at the site before him, he shot a question to his old friend as he watched,"Geez, just what are you teaching that girl Tsuande-hime?"

Their teacher interceded as he watched as well,"In any event, this fight has truly gotten to be quite interesting."

**Arena**

Sakura was dodging blow after blow, in an increasingly rapid pace as the fight went on. Mei merely kept up the pressure until suddenly she leapt away with a growl,"You're not taking me seriously, are you Haruno-san?"

The bubblegum kunoichi said nothing as she rapidly flipped through seals before calling out,"**Hiton:Senzakura Saikuron!(Thousand Petal Cyclone)**"

Cherry blossoms began cascading into the area in a flurry as Sakura's jutsu took root. The petals floated about gracefully before suddenly rushing towards Mei, flitting around the girl in a raging storm of sakura. The jade-eyed genin rapidly flipped through another set of seals before thrusting her palm towards her target, bracing the extended limb with her other arm as she called out once more,"**Hiton:Ensuisei!(Blazing Comet)**"

A ball of fiery chakra swirled to life on the kunoichi's hand as she focused, once it solidified the ball flew off at immense speeds towards the spinning column of petals. The attacks combined as the fire merely intensified due to the wind present, gaining a bluish hue as its heat increased and its revolution picked up exponentially, yet the sakura petals remained unharmed by the inferno as they flew throughout the attack.

"Good! This isn't half bad pinky, but not quite there. **Suiton:Suijinheki.(Water release:Water Encampment Wall)**"

A large wall of water erupted from within the tower of flame, disrupting it and eventually cancelling it as Mei stood where she was, unharmed. Flying through seals faster than the eye could follow, the cream-eyed teen smirked as she named her attack,"**Fumaten no jutsu.(Heavenly Wind Dancer)**"

Gathering chakra to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest, Mei swept them outward, releasing several large shuriken of nothing but wind. The blades enlarged and accelerated dramatically as they approached the Haruno, who seeing the threat, jumped back several yards as she began yet another chain of signs.

"**Katon:Hidan Hensho!(Fire release:Scarlet Bullet Combustion!)**"

Placing her hands before her once more, the young genin shot off several boulder-sized bullets of crimson flame at her enemy, blocking off the barrage of wind shuriken and creating a burst of light equivalent to a flash bang grenade going off. Everyone was forced to either look away or close their eyes to protect themselves from such an intense and sudden assault on their senses.

**Kage's booth**

As the upper echelon of shinobi hid themselves from the light, the toad sage laughed out loud as he talked to his mentor and partner,"Well, sensei, you weren't kidding! These girls really know how to sling jutsu! I haven't seen a single one of those before except for the suijinheki technique that Mei girl used. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

Tsunade was in her own world as her mind was preoccupied,'Mei...Just how long have you been hiding this strength from me? In any event, I will test you myself and see just what power you truly possess...This, I swear on my word as a sannin.'

**Viewing area**

"Naruto, just what in the world have you been showing Sakura! She's amazing!" Hinata yelled at the blond as she covered her eyes from the mini-flare that was below them. Naruto, who had his eyes closed, shrugged as he answered his friend.

"I taught her all that Muramasa-sensei showed me, and I taught her some other elemental ninjutsu that I figured would be useful to her. I had to get her at least to a point of being amusing to Mei after all."

**Stands**

The other shinobi present watched in awe at the immense skill the two kunoichi seemed to possess, as well as they both were firing off high-class jutsu that no one had ever heard of before. Kakashi was practically drooling at the number of techniques being used by the two,'To think that these two are still merely genin in rank! They ought to be at least mid to high-chunin as these jutsu are easily B-rank and above!'

The genin themselves were of a similar mind as Tenten spoke aloud to her fellow shinobi,"Guys, I find it incredibly awesome that Naruto was the one who taught Sakura. She's outstanding! For her to have this much power is totally unreal for someone of our level!"

Shikamaru spoke loudly to reply,"Our level? I think she passed that the moment she started firing off new techniques like fireworks!"

Nods and comments of agreement followed as the ninja watched the rest of the match in silent excitement.

**Arena**

As the light faded, the two opposing kunoichi stood stock still, niether one budging in the least. Then, in a blur of movement, the two engaged in a flexible display of acrobatic taijutsu. Mei lashing out with a side kick, only to be evaded as Sakura went for a leaping punch. The wine-haired nin parried the attack as she leaned to the right, grabbed the offending limb, and flipped the girl over her shoulder directly into the dirt. Sakura, stopped her fall by reaching out with her left palm into the dust as she thrust a vicious kick from her left leg. Forced to let go, Mei shot a sweep at the other teen, who in turn went forward into a one-handed cartwheel before quickly coming in with a butterfly kick as she drew a kunai.

Her opponent leaned back into a backflip so as to avoid the attack, drawing a kunai herself. Upon landing the two kunoichi instantly rampage into one another, knives clicking into a burst of sparks from the friction the two warriors were causing. A smile appeared on the elder's face visage as she said,"Sakura, you have done very well. I see that I will have to resort to a more serious approach if I am to fight with you any longer...So, you have my respect. **Narakumi no jutsu.(Hell Viewing Technique)**"

Sakura instantly flinched, her whole body went rigid as her mind was flung back into the tower once more, this time she was one her knees.,,Chains echoed throughout the chamber as she heard a laugh that made her eyes widen tenfold. Glancing up, she saw the Uchiha once more before her, his throat wound looking as if it were never present and a gleam in his eyes that reflected open lust and sheer madness.

"Y-y-you? I thought I killed you?"

"Now, Sakura-chan, I'm hurt. You really think that you could get rid of me that easily? Tsk. Seems like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson that you won't soon forget, my little cherry blossom. Hahahaha!"

"Iyyyaaahhh!"

The 'blind' genin stepped back as she watched her oppostion fall, a small smirk on her face at the look of absolute hooror etched into her target's features. She spoke softly, more to herself than to her enemy,"Sweet dreams...Sakura."

The proctor came into the area with a tired look on his face as he walked over and called Mei the victor of the match, and called in a medic squad with a stretcher to carry the young pinkette to the hospital. As this went on, Mei went back up into the viewing area only to meet a hard-faced Naruto.

"My my, what have I here? An angry Naru-kun, but why, I wonder?" asked said girl in the coyest way she knew.

"What did you do to her?"

"Eh? What do mean?"

"I mean what genjutsu did you cast on her to win? The only area I didn't train her on was that, and I knew that was a weakness in her style, now tell me before something...bad happens to Sakura."

Now Mei's attention was fully on the blonde before her, a questioning glance asked,"Why?"

Sighing, the Uzumaki spoke, albeit reluctantly.

"I used a technique my sensei used to train me, and it has some potentially traumatic means in order to force you to overcome your weakspots mentally by exposing them in a manner that would hurt you the most...In Sakura's case, she was almost raped by Sasuke in her trial, and she was forced to kill him in order to kill her fan-girl self, and it still has quite a strong hold on her mind and heart at the moment. _That's_ why I need to know which genjutsu you used on her."

A moment of silence washed over the two as Hinata stood quietly, having been told all this information as the fight progressed. With an anxious tone, the dark-haired girl replied,"I used the Narakumi jutsu on her, just patch her up as best you can, and apologize to her for me for turning her greatest fear against her at such a vulnerable time."

The due was shocked at the amount, or lack thereof, of sarcasm in the foreign nin's voice. Naruto immediately recognized the light in her eye as remiscing a past wound, and bowing to the girl he turned and promptly left the area, certain to give the girl room to breathe for a while.

'She's been hurt in that manner as well...it would seem.'

"Will Hinata Hyuga and Inuzuka Hana come to the grounds for the final match of the Kage slot."

The blunette merely looked to her fellow bonded kunoichi before heading to the arena floor for her fight, but not before placing a delicate hand upon the girls shoulder, forcing eye contact.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun will do everything in his power to make sure that neither you nor Sakura have to deal with such painful memories anymore. That is a promise. "

** *FIN***

**Ch.20 Nightmares and Placements (Tournament Pt. III)**

**(A/N): Firstly, I wanted to let you all know that I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Life's been busy and this is the only time I found to get it done..It's 2:02 in the morning and I have work in the morning at 8..So, you ALL should know that I love you enough to sacrifice precious sleep time for you all! (_) **

** Now, I'm sure you all have questions in regard to this part of the story, and I'm too tired to write it in this note, soooo ask me in a PM or a review and I'll be more than happy to answer whatever you send my way!Thank you all so much for your support and favorites to the story; though I could use some more reviews...Ma ma, anyway, hope ya like the chap and next chapter we shall get into the Famed SANNIN BATLES! YYYYAAAA! ^^ Ja' ne.**

**Jutsu names and translations will come later...Gomenasai!**


	22. Realization & Questions

**(A/N): Okay! Hello fans! I want to apologize for my overly long absence and far too long writer's block. Gomen! Now, onto the moment you've all been waiting for! The Final battles and the conclusion of the tournament! From here on out the story should pick up to usual canon standards and events, with the occasional detour...if I can slide it in accurately. ;) SO, without further delay, here we go!**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

* * *

**CH. 21 Realization & Questions  
**

_**[Cue Song: "Fever" by Bullet For My Valentine]**_

"St-t-stay away!"

Sakura knelt down with her back against the wall; clothes torn, tear stains lining her face, and fear evident in her wide jade eyes. As she shouted out into the darkness, the sounds of footsteps echoed around her, a sinister laugh bellowed forth from the shadows plunging her mind deeper into the miasma of terror as the voice spoke back.

"What a shame, my dear cherry blossom, I'm hurt! I thought that you loved me, yet you run from my touch, why is that?"

"Yarou! I don't love you anymore! I-I hate you!"

"Oh? Went and found someone else have you...I see, then I shall merely take what is mine and then whoever he is can have you!"

The rosette was blindsided as a body tackled her from the side, she struggled, and fought with a strength that only desperation could grant. Yet it was for naught, as her cries resounded, both persons froze when a third voice entered into the fold.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to do that...Sasuke."

Before them walked out Naruto, he was wearing a black kimono with tattered sleeves and a kamon of a yin-yang on both sides of his breast. His hair was shoulder length, and his earring dangled lightly upon his left ear, all was in place. The only difference in the blonde seemed to come from his eyes, they weren't their normal oceanic blue, they were shimmering gold in the abysmal lighting.

"If you don't remove yourself from my student, I'll have to do so **by force**."

"Kuso. So, this is whom you've fallen for? The bastard who gave you to me in the first place? Che. Then I'll take him from you first before we have our fun, ne!"

The raven-haired specter charged at full speed towards the other male, and Sakura could do no more than watch.

"Now, Die!"

_Sling!_

_Slick._

"Only after you..teme."

Once again, the Uchiha fell to the ground, blood pooling beneath him in an expanding mass of crimson. His eyes wild and furious, even as his mind shut down and his body slumped. Soon enough, though, he was dead at the genin's feet.

"Are you alright, Sakura?"

The girl just nodded mutely as her teacher helped her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her frame, she suddenly turned into the embrace and began to weep once more. She gripped tightly, as if letting go would make him vanish, and she repeated the words over and over in between sobs.

"Thank you sensei. Thank you!"

Her savior said nothing, he merely stroked her hair and rubbed light circles in her back to ease the shuddering her body was doing at the moment.

Then she woke up.

**_[Song End]_**

Looking around she found herself in an empty white room, sunlight poured in from a non-blinded window to her right as she wondered aloud.

"W-what was that?"

"Glad your awake, Sakura-chan. I was worried for you for a minute."

Turning to her left was her instructor, sitting in a chair directly beside her, reading.

A blush roared throughout her features as she stammered,"N-Naruto-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"What. A teacher can't be concerned for his student and sit by their side until they wake up? Sheesh, you could've told me that sooner."

'He waited...the entire time by my side?'

"H-how long was I out?"

"Only long enough for Hinata to have her fight apparently, I'm told it was very entertaining since she was up against an Inuzuka heiress, Hana's her name if I'm not mistaken. Now, I'm more worried about you at the moment...are you alright?"

A nod came before her voice,"I..I think I am. What the hell did that Mei girl use on me?"

"Narakumi no jutsu. It forces the mind to unveil their worst nightmare upon themselves. It's not a pretty jutsu, nor was it one that I prepared you for...Gomenasai! I should have warned you about her genjutsu abilities. Had I not intervened when I did...you..."

Her face kicked up a few notches of red as she spoke,"Wait...You mean you actually _were_ there inside my mind? It wasn't a dream?"

"Hai. I had to help you, otherwise you could have had a mental breakdown, or worse. I couldn't bring myself to face the guilt of doing nothing for you when I cold help it. I hope you'll pardon my intrusion."

A moment of silence passed between the two, nothing was said or done, they just sat in passive solitude. The door opened and a chunin entered halfway, upon spotting the blonde, he relayed his message.

"Uzumaki-san. The tournament is continuing, you are being called to the arena for the finals. Haruno-san, if you're feeling better, you may attend as well. This isn't something you're going to want to miss."

Both nodded, and the shinobi vanished from sight. After a moment of silence again, the blonde got up to leave. Yet as he reached the door, a call stopped him.

"Naruto-sensei."

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"I forgive you. Also, good luck in your fight. I'll be watching."

A small smile reached his face as he exited,"Thank you."

Upon his leaving, the pinkette merely smiled herself,"No, Naruto-kun. Thank you."

**~ Sometime later, Arena Floor ~**

"I'm quite pleased with the results of this tournament! You have all proven the might of Konoha, and are a testimony to the blazing will of fire amongst our people! I am proud of each and every one of you. I especially want to give a mention to our three finalists for having endured throughout all of their battles and reaching this stage. Now, for the next portion of this fight, so as to not damage anything within the confines of our village, we will be fighting outside of the village. Within the forests of Hi no Kuni itself! May all of you present your best in your fight, and may your strength reveal just what level a shinobi should strive for in the future."

As Sarutobi finished speaking, the crowd was left astounded. Outside the village was nothing but forest...to be fighting there...

The unanimous thought of all present was simple,'Just how strong are these three, for them to be moving the fight outside of the city walls?'

**~ Moments Later, Within Konoha Forest ~**

To decide who would be facing whom, tabs were pulled, and the results were announced by the proctor.

"First match will be Meikakushi Kurama versus Lady Tsunade Senju. Second match will be Naruto Uzumaki-Hyuuga versus Lord Jiraiya the sage. Finally, Lady Hinata Hyuuga will face against our Lord Hokage."

Hearing the pairings, each of the sannin members smiled, they were truly in for a wild and entertaining fight. Sarutobi merely smirked as he heard his match-up, this would be a great test of the girl's abilities. His thoughts on the subject stayed inside his mind, even as his white-haired student spoke them aloud,"Well, this is going to be quite interesting."

* * *

"First match, hajime!"

A soft breeze began at the moment of the call, and the two kunoichi regarded one another with stoic tension. As they watched their opponent, a single leaf was blown into the clearing they were in; and just like the wind, it too, soon ceased it's natural inclination...

_That_ was the beginning of their fight.

Charging forward, the two began their dance of strike and evade, counter and parry. Elegance shifted to savage beauty as the mayhem began to unfold; trees began to be uprooted or utterly destroyed, craters filled the space of solid earth, the air itself was forcibly expelled from their presence as shockwaves issued from their clashes. This was a battle of titans more than that between kunoichi.

After a while of this, the mahogany-haired kunoichi changed strategies as she flipped rapidly through hand seals before calling out,"**Doryuheki!**" (1)

A gigantic wall of sturdy earth arose from the ground before the slug princess as she charged ahead, a laugh coming from her as she reared her fist back,"Oh come on Mei! You don't really think something like this is gonna actually stop me, you were doing better imitating my super-strength!"

With a mighty roar, the busty sannin slammed her fist into the jutsu, utterly destroying the wall in mere seconds. The rapid deterioration of rock to dust left a cloud looming around the kunoichi as Tsunade looked around for her target. A voice off to her right told her what she wanted to know,"Don't worry Tsunade-sama, there is a reason for my change in tactics, one that you'll find _very_ interesting indeed. **Resshou!**" (2)

Out of nowhere, the blonde was stricken from the left by a hard hook. The attack was followed by a roundhouse from the right and a another strike from below, sending her off the ground a few inches. Before she could get her bearings yet another array of blows befell her; two kicks caught her chin sending her skyward, an uppercut continued this flight plan, another set of hits reached her midsection as she doubled over, yet a heavy axe-kick ended all of this rocketing her to the ground and forming quite an impressive crater as a result.

Landing quietly, the genin regarded the indent with apprehension, her mind processing possible strategies.

'Looks like she just got serious as well, I may just have to use _that_ jutsu set..kuso.'

Standing from her self made placement, Tsunade was smiling as she dusted herself,"You really are skilled, far more than I gave you credit for...That means I can get serious, right?"

A nod was her answer as she fellow into a stance and began gathering her chakra, the pressure only further increased the diameter of the crater as it fell under her newly rising strength.

**(A/N:Is it just me or is this sounding really DBZ right now? ^^*)**

Mei dropped into a low stance of her own as she prepared herself, her hand fingering her shikomizue ever so gently.

In a blur the elder shinobi vanished, only to appear not but a few feet from her pupil's side coming in fast with her fist already reared to strike. Sensing this Mei waited until the limb was thrust to evade, though that was her mistake, the blonde gracefully swung into a vicious side kick that connected with the girl. Her grunt only further satisfied the older woman as she was sent careening into a tree trunk a ways from her opponent. Pulling herself up, she coughed as a little blood escaped from her lips,"Shi. Still hurts like hell to be hit by her."

As the woman began her charge again, the younger female raced in as well, and instead of clashing with her sensei she contorted into a butterfly twist that brought her heel into the back of her target's head. Without waiting for her to recover, she got into an iaido stance and gripped her cane in an under-handed hold.

"**Tachikaze!**" (3)

Swiftly drawing her hidden blade, she made two cuts that created a large disk of air that began to have a vacuum-like effect as it rotated. She thrust the butt of her handle into the turned disk as she re-sheathed her sword, and the wind exploded outwards in waves of slicing arcs. The Senju could only block with her forearms as the technique beat at her frame, cutting gashes and wounds along the entirety of her front. Had her clothes not been stylized ninja gear, they'd be no better than tattered strips of cloth at the moment, she looked to her student with wide eyes.

'That move! It was so fast I couldn't even set up a decent defense, is this what she's been hiding from me? Such skill...'

The slug princess spoke as she healed her wounds,"That was impressive Mei, I didn't know you were skilled with a weapon...particularly a sword."

The small smile on her face showed her amusement with the situation,"I figured that if you get serious about this, I should too. My guardian before I met you and Shizune-nee-chan taught me how to wield a sword with efficiency, and since he was blind, it benefited me greatly as it was convenient in any situation since no one would touch the staff of a believed blind woman."

Nodding, the busty kunoichi agreed,"That's true. Not many would, however, now I believe it's time I turn things up another notch...Let's see how powerful you really are."

**~ Arena ~**

Those in the crowd were amazed, they hadn't seen anything like this in a very long time. Now for those who would try to figure out how the people are witnessing this, it's because of the screen in the midst of the arena wall. Shinobi planted throughout the forest wield video-cameras that send a live feed back to the spectators from multiple angles. The crowd gathered was truly amazed at the sight before them, in particular, the genin were all floored.

"Woah, that Mei is something else entirely! She warned us about Naruto and Hinata, but I think she's just as big a threat, if not more so."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing, a genin keeping up with a sannin, something definitely needs to change within our ranking system if there are people like that in our forces."

Murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the shinobi corps. as the battle ensued. One person in particular genin, Ino Yamanaka asked,"If she was the one warning us about the other two, does that mean that they are also this strong? I mean, hell, forehead trained with Naruto for a week and she improved by leaps and bounds!"

"Ya know Ino, I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult, but thanks anyway."

The platinum blonde jumped slightly at the voice sounding behind her as all the genin turned to face the rosette sitting in a chair calmly observing the screen, or a specific mahogany-hair individual. Once the shock of said girls appearance wore off, they too turned back to the enormous monitor.

**~ Forest ~**

The two women were engaged in a highly acrobatic display as they wound around kicks and punches lashed out at them. Disengaging, the sannin performed a set of handsigns before summoning a pale blue blade of chakra on her hands, yet every so often there would be a vein of blue electricity that jumped from the projected weapon. A smirk appeared on her lips as she dashed forward again, apparently intent on ending their spar.

Slowly, Mei's chakra began to flare about her body, trailing wide ellipses and waving about in a wild manner. A smirk once more found a place on her countenance as she went into handseals at yet a faster pace than before.

"**Ite Asumi no jutsu!**" (4)

A mist rolled forth from her person, thick and bone-chilling even from a distance as Tsunade felt its ever increasing coldness as she progressed towards her opponent. Suddenly, her instinct kicked in and she leapt skyward, landing on the branch of a tree as she glanced back down. What she saw astounded her, the ground was completely covered in a thick sheet of ice.

"Well, you don't see that every day."

"No. You don't. I can't have you interrupting me dear sensei, so pardon me if I take this small precaution. Though, if you attack me and miss, I want you to know that this fight will end rather swiftly, yet if I complete this next move the fight shall finish as well...hmm, I guess this is checkmate Lady Tsunade."

Gritting her teeth, the woman growled as she spoke,"This fight will be over soon, Mei, very soon indeed."

Even though she said this, her thoughts were directed elsewhere,'Ice! She can freaking use ice, great, I've gotta end this soon...how? I can't let her do whatever jutsu she plans to use, but I'm gonna assume that if I touch that ice, I'm gonna be up to my neck in it rather quickly. Think Tsunade!'

Before the medic could think further, she her the voice of her student calling out the technique name..from right behind her.

"**Fumaten no jutsu.**" (5)

And before the woman could react...her vision distorted; blurry, inverted, rapidly turning, and warping in and out of focus. She instantly lost her balance as vertigo took hold of her system, and as she fell she could simply question,'What the hell is this jutsu doing to me?'

After what seemed like hours, the Lady Tsunade realized she had yet to fall to the ground below, though she could feel the pain of impacting against something...well, several somethings the more she tried to feel it out. Her senses slowly, but finally opened to full capacity once more, just as she was slammed into a particularly hard surface.

"Gyah! What the hell!"

Then and there, her world was met with darkness's embrace.

* * *

**~ Arena ~**

"What..what fearsome power."

"Yeah."

The crowds of ninja and civilian spectators could only marvel at the scene before them as it was visible with or without use of the camera wielding shinobi outside the Arena's walls. An enormous column of wind shot into the heavens, contorting as it ascended until it took the form of a gigantic tornado. Its strength was that to where even from the distance they were, the viewers could feel great waves of wind plow into them strongly. It whipped at their clothing, lifted their hair wildly, and forced them to shield their faces from becoming raw as it blew through the masses.

Then, it merely died away, the winds returning to nothingness. The viewing screen had somehow cut to the proctor, and his expression was one of utter disbelief as he spoke.

"T-th-is match is concluded, since neither individual can continue to fight...this match is a draw."

"Eh?"

**-Flashback-**

'Come on Tsunade, think.'

"Fumaten no jutsu."

'Kuso!'

As her senses were overloaded, the Slug Princess brought her right hand back as she fell from the tree branch, her appendage scored a hit against her attacker. That is, if the sudden gasp was anything to go by before she slipped from the land of consciousness.

**-Flashback End-**

"The next match will begin momentarily, we will be moving to the location of the next two contestants."

**~ Arena ~**

"Are you kidding me? That match was a draw? What the hell was that last jutsu, I didn't even hear the name of it!"

The genin were unsure what to make of the fight that had happened before them. Here was a girl, no older than themselves, and she was able to go toe to toe with one of the strongest ninja in the entire shinobi world. It didn't matter that she was taught by a sannin, if she could fight one to a draw...maybe her warning had some merit.

Shikamaru sighed as he rubbed sore temples, his mind racing in order to find a reasonable explanation for what they had all just witnessed.

'There's no logical way for that girl to have kept up with a sannin, raised by her or not, just what in the hell is going on with her?'

Relinquishing himself to non-understanding, the Nara merely muttered out a "Mendokuse*" and glanced at the screen as the next fight was soon to begin.

* * *

**_[Cue song: "Blow Me Away" by Breaking Benjamin/Valora]_**

"The next match of the final, Naruto versus Lord Jiraiya, begin!"

Taking a lazy defensive stance, the toad sage smirked as he spoke to his subordinate,"Hey, gaki, I saw your earlier matches in the tournament. I know you were holding back, so, go nuts and make this an interesting fight okay?"

Closing his eyes, the blond allowed a smirk to form before he rapidly sent a kunai sailing at the older shinobi. Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Jiraiya started to move, before he noticed _where_ the kunai was headed. He laughed as he titled his head to the right, letting the projectile fly by him.

"Come on, I saw better fighting when you were against those of your own rank!"

He twitched as he felt cold steel on the skin of his throat, his eyes opening wide as he glanced behind him slightly,"You know, old man, it gets annoying constantly being underestimated by everyone around you. If you don't take this seriously, I may just opt to kill you."

'How the hell-ah! Shadow clone..It still amazes me that a genin can use such a high-level technique. Guess I should get a bit serious.'

Sighing, the white-haired shinobi nodded as he replied,"Yeah, guess you're right. Well, then...**Hari-jizo!**"

The blonde jumped back as the ninja's hair began to grow at an extreme rate, and spike until it resembled a white porcupine. Getting distance between them, the genin began to form handsigns before bringing his hand to his mouth and calling his jutsu,"**Hōsenka no jutsu!**"

Several bursts of flame erupted from the blond's mouth, soaring quickly towards their target, however his opponent had plans of his own.

"**Hari-jigoku!**"

Suddenly, the dome of white exploded outwards in a raze of flying spikes, blocking the flying embers and forcing the young nin to take to the trees. With a smile on his face, the sannin laughed aloud,"Well kid, you've got talent, I'll give you that. But, it takes more than that to fight with a sannin."

"I agree. **Futon:Kazekiri Bakudan no jutsu!**"

A series of wind arcs streamed into view from multiple directions at once, and the elder shinobi grunted as he began a set of seals for his own jutsu, and in less than a second he completed them with a cry.

"**Katon:Karyu Endan!**"

An enormous dragon spilled from the sage's mouth as he conjured the blazing beast, and soon it swam around the ninja, shielding him from the cutting wind blades and growing in heat and intensity until it turned blue from absorbing the attacks. Grinning like a maniac, Jiraiya then sent the dragon into the air before bringing it back down heavily into the forest. The resulting explosion could be felt all the way inside the stadium as the earth rocked furiously beneath them.

**~ Arena ~**

Geez, Naruto-sensei's gonna get serious if they keep it up like this."

Ino turned to her pinkette friend before replying,"Eh? What do you mean 'serious', did you not see that dragon?"

Sighing, the jade-eyed kunoichi answered,"That wasn't anything special, if he wanted to, sensei could burn the whole forest down with a single jutsu. I don't know how strong the sannin are, but I do know that he shouldn't toy with Naruto...that just pisses him off."

It was the blonde's turn to sigh as she gazed at her one-time rival, her mind begged the question that her mouth would never ask..at least, not yet. 'What happened to you Sakura, you've...changed so much, and where does this undying loyalty to Naruto come from? I know he's strong, but, I can't see why you have so much faith in that strength...just what has he done to you?'

Switching her view back to the screen, she made a mental promise that would decide her actions for the next time she saw the blonde alone,'I swear, the next time I see that boy, I'm gonna get to the bottom of this. I don't see what you see in him Sakura, but I _will_ find out what he's done to you.'

**~ Forest ~**

On either sides of the crater, blue eyes stared into brown as the two males assessed their battle. Smirking, the young Uzumaki spoke first,"Gotta say, you're not bad old man. To control a fire dragon of that level, even if I did help create it, is impressive."

"Thanks gaki, though, something tells you're still holding back. If you're not taking me seriously-"

The blond began scratching the back of his head as he interrupted the other,"Look, I can tell you're restraining yourself too, so don't go attempting to give me a speech. If you want me to be serious, I apologize now, because-"

His eyes took a cold gleam to them as he began emitting KI towards the sannin,"I only get serious if I intend to kill you."

The man was taken aback, the level of intent the boy was showing was alarming, it was higher than some of his most dire opponents of the past. 'This kid's KI is heavier than Orochimaru's! Just what in the world is going on here?'

Coughing and gathering himself, the aged ninja nodded as gave his response,"Well, I understand your sentiments kid, so why not make this a fun experience for the both of us. One hit, winner take all. We use our highest jutsu that we can without this being a life or death situation."

Quirking an eyebrow, the blonde's interest was peaked,"Ok. What's the gamble?"

Grinning like a cheshire, the toad sage answered,"Nothing grand, if I win you tell me what you're hiding."

"Then if I win, you teach me something. That alright with you?"

"Sure. I can understand your desire to learn from the great Jiraiya!"

Sweat-dropping, the genin merely shook his head and began to gather his chakra. Following his lead, the kabuki-dressing shinobi called to him,"Don't hold back on this one kid, or you might end up hurt!"

Holding his hand out to his side, a sphere of sky blue chakra slowly came to life in his palm. Once it was the size of his fist, he blew flames upon it, turning it black and surrounding it with a ring of flames. His grin never leaving his face as he named his technique,"**Katon:Gōen Rasengan.**"

The blonde looked at the scene before him with keen interest, a small smile appearing on his face as he spoke,"So, fire is it. Very well then, I'll match that move, been meaning to try this out for some time now."

Holding his hand out, palm facing the heavens, Naruto ignited his arm ablaze in a vermillion color as he drew upon his chakra. With a mild amount of speed, the flames began to slither up the boy's arm, warping and changing into a solid azure color as it enclosed upon the open appendage. Soon, it coalesced itself into a sphereical form of its own as the blonde's smile became a smirk at the look he was receiving from his opponent.

"**Katon:Konpekiran.**"

**_[Song End]_**

The toad sage was floored,'What the hell is that? He couldn't have recreated the rasengan from just watching it now...that technique was made with pure elemental manipulation! Damn, sensei was right, this kid is a wildcard. Well then, let's see what this gaki will do with that.'

As one, the two leapt towards the other, and once they were in striking distance they hurled their attacks.

The collision was...explosive.

Arcs of flame streamed from their joined jutsu as the two moves ground at one another. Jiraiya could only speculate in raw amazement at the power of the blonde across from him,"Gaki! You're one helluva shinobi in my book, I'll teach you something really cool after this is all over, but I can't afford to lose here!"

Pumping more chakra into his attack, the sphere grew larger as it continued to ram into Naruto's technique. The youth didn't respond verbally, though his smirk widened, ever so slightly. "Let's see what happens then..."

Charging a little more of the energy into his own move, he watched as the fire grew more intense, brightening into a more whitish color. "When I take it up a level!" Then something peculiar happened, the flame changed once more, becoming a fuschia-white-like color. 'What in Kami's name-'

_Ka-boom._

The shockwave erupted from the epicenter of the collision before the actual explosion occured. The results of the 'bomb' were utterly devastating, trees were reduced to cinder and ash in twenty meter radius, and their crater had once again expanded. It was so hot between the two jutsu that the air itself had become arrid, as one would expect from desert weather, with the entire middle of the crater being glass. Jiraiya, poor guy, was rammed into a tree...literally, he was inside of it, in an imprint of himself. Naruto, however, was laying in the dirt on his face..clearly unconscious.

The proctor came into the area with wide and wary eyes, he glanced at the damage and summarily gave his verdict. "Neither contestant is conscious, so this match is considered a draw!" With that, he lept away, his mind replaying the devastation of what he had seen. 'Note to self:Never _ever_ piss either of those two off! Just what kind of monsters do we have in our program anyway?'

**~Arena~**

The audience was stunned, again.

"I can't believe it, Naruto kept up with Jiraiya! Naruto of all freaking people!"

"I know what ya mean, first Sasuke, now this...huh, what a troublesome situation we find ourselves in."

"You're tellin' me."

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji all gave their thoughts to one another as they watched the highlight reel from the fight. It was utterly amazing how one of their own could be so powerful, and it was the dead-last class-clown at that!

"Now you know just how powerful he really is."

The group turned around to see Mei leaning against the guard rail, a small content smile in place. Ino, upon seeing the girl, walked up to her with a blank expression. The wine-haired kunoichi tilted her head in a very Naruto-like fashion as she inquired,"May I help you with something, Yamanaka-san?" Dropping to her knees before her fellow genin, the pale blonde asked,"Gomen! I insulted you earlier and I should've realized what I was getting myself into. Please, I ask you to teach me to be a better kunoichi!"

"No."

"Ehh? Why not?"

shaking her head, the white-eyed genin merely brought up two fingers as she replied,"Two reasons. One, you only ask because you've seen my strength...so you now know that I could crush you as easily as one does an insect on their wall. That, isn't what I want you asking me for. Two, I already have a student."

This brought the ears of the others totally upright as their simultaneous cry of "Nani?" was heard. A nod was the girl's response as she closed her eyes. "Hn. Ten-chan is the one I will be teaching until the Chunin exams roll around, understand?"

The bun-haired brunette jumped as she pointed at herself,"ME? Arigatou!"

"Think nothing of it. You are currently the weakest of us, aside from Ino, and you asked to learn from me without knowing what the full extent of my abilities were. So, no hard feelings, but I'm going to make you a better kunoichi...just because I can truly see the potential within you."

Deflated, the weapon-user merely nodded as she muttered an "oh." and drew a circle with her foot.

"Well, Hinata, I just have one bit of advice for you."

Glancing at the girl, the Hyuga stayed quiet as Mei spoke,"Remember, a kunoichi is just as much a ninja, as she is a woman."

Blinking, the girl merely hummed an acknowledgment, though confusion was written upon her countenance plain as day.

**~Forest~**

"We now have our final battle of the tournament! Hyuga Hinata V.S. Lord Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. May this match...begin!"

* * *

**~+ FIN +~**

**(A/N):This is really, really long! I apologize if your eyes hurt! *Bow* My mistake, I got to writing after my writer's block subsided, and finally got so into it, when I came to this was it! The next chapter will be the 'official' end to the tournament, and it won't be nearly as long as this!...I hope. ;)**

**Nihon Dictionary**

***Mendokuse means Troublesome. If you don't know who this belongs to, go back and start reading from the beginning! lol**

**_Konpekiran-Azure Orchid_**

JUTSU LIST

1) Doryuheki:Earth Style Wall-Defensive-Doton jutsu that erects a solid wall of earth to block attacks.

2) Resshou:Violent Soaring-Offensive/Supplimentary-A taijutsu combination that forcibly opens one's guard and repels them, when times in coordination with a jutsu, this technique can be quite deadly. It seems to have another aspect to it as well...

3) Tachikaze:Earth-Severing Wind-Offensive-A futon jutsu that places a target in a shell of wind and simultaneously cuts/sufficates while blocking escape.

4) Ite Asumi:Frozen Mist-Offensive/Supplimentary-A hyouton that creates a mist that freezes anything on contact; has a spread of 15 meters when pushed.

5) Fumaten:Heavenly Wind Dancer-Offensive/Supplimentary-A powerful futon jutsu capable of recreating the winds of a hurricane. Potentially lethal, as it has the cutting power to cut through solid steel when used at full capacity.


	23. Conclusion: Hinata's Strike!

**(A/N): Yo! How ya doin' people? After a long time of coming up with ideas and being in between jobs, I finally have time to get this latest chapter to you! Hope ya like it!  
**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

* * *

**CH. 22 Conclusion: Hinata's Strike!  
**

The wind wafted through the forest canopy like a whispering echo, leaves gently dancing their way from tree branch to earthen ground with no more than a soft rustle. Standing not but five feet from one another are the last two combatants of the tournament, Hyuga Hinata, and Sarutobi Hiruzen. With a light chuckle, the elder shinobi decides to speak to his young subordinate.

"I must say, Hinata-chan, I'm very impressed with your progression in this tournament. To perform some of the feats that you have as a genin is truly extraordinary, and I'm quite honored to be fighting someone so talented, so don't hold back...show me what your capable of."

The bluenette merely stood, head bowed slightly, and eyes closed. Her posture was slack, and her breathing shallow, her mind lost in a world all its own.

* * *

"_Hinata, you wanted to stay back there with Naruto and that Mei girl, so why did you leave for private training?_"

"I'm tired of being weak... Having him protect me, and teach me, just isn't what I want anymore. I promised that I'd become strong; enough to protect him, my family, and myself. I won't be able to achieve that level of strength if I'm always following him around and relying on Naruto. I must follow my own path, get better in my own way. Ya know?"

"_Understood. Then I believe we are ready for you to truly learn to harness your inner potential, we have only a little time._"

* * *

Opening her eyes, the kunoichi spoke in a steady tone,"Hai. As you wish, Hokage-sama."

Without even a muscle twitch, the girl vanished into thin air. The old flame shadow's eyes narrowed as he thought,'So she is capable of that,' and in a flash of handsigns he called out his jutsu.

"**Doton:Doryu Taiga.**"

Spinning around, Hiruzen spat a stream of mud along the ground, attempting to ensnare his opponent. However, this was not to be as a cry of,"**Suiton:Mizurappa!**" was shouted from behind him once again. Without looking, the old ninja leapt to the left as to avoid the jutsu streaming towards him. Pulling into a one-handed cartwheel, the elder landed in a sliding crouch, his hands already throwing a kunai from his pouch and flipping through more seals.

"**Kage Shuriken no jutsu!**"

A single kunai multiplied into a thousand as they sailed toward the Hyuga, yet she smiled a bit as she went into a spin,"**Hakkeshō Kaiten!**"

Deflecting the assault, the genin dropped the jutsu as she slid into a stance. Veins bulged near her eyes as she brought to bare her kekkei genkai,"Byakugan," and dashed forward into a close distance from her target. Dropping low, the white-eyed teen brought her arm back, palm out and fingers slightly curled before unleashing her blow.

"Here goes! **Hakke Kūshō!**"

The Professor could only gape at the girl before him, even as he was lifted off his feet and carried away five meters to slam into a tree trunk, and vanish in a burst of smoke. Shock registered on the girl's face momentarily, 'Kuso! A shadow clone, but where's-' "**Katon:Karyū Endan!**"

Crouching, the youth created a dome of ice around herself as three enormous dragon heads of flame slam into the icy shield. Steam burst into the immediate area as the fire and ice blended together, blinding the old man from his opponent. Closing his eyes, the kage spoke aloud,"You're doing very well Hinata-chan! I'm very impressed by your growth so far, I may just have get serious if this keeps up."

A sound of to his right alerted him of something coming his way, he jumped to the right to avoid it, yet he didn't escape entirely. "Urgh!" His left shoulder was hit, hard, and opening his eyes revealed what hit him to be a spear made of chakra. 'What in the world?'

"**Chakra Senbon.** My own original technique, I can attack you from a distance without falling target to traps or jutsu, and in this fog..I have the upper hand. You should be taking this fight seriously, if not you may lose."

Sighing, the elder brought his hands together into a seal,"Kai!" A soft blue glow came off the old man as he moved his shoulder, a small smile on his lips,"My apologies, Hinata-chan, I will take this more seriously from here on out. Be warned, I am hokage for a reason." With that, he vanished into the mist as it began to diminish.

**~Arena~**

The spectators were amazed, most had never seen the Hokage fight in one-on-one combat, and they were floored by his power and skill...even at the age he was. Nobody was more stunned than the Hyuga clan however, for this was the first time they had seen just how strong Hinata had become in their art.

"Unbelievable, Lady Hinata created a jutsu?"

"She's advanced to using the empty palm, and the kaiten...most impressive."

Even her father, the ever stoic Hiashi, held an infinitesimally small smirk on his face.

**~Viewing Port~**

Neji was heated, even if it was hidden facially. His hands gripped the railing until is knuckles were white, and a slow groaning was heard reverberating from the metal. 'I-I can't' believe this..first Lee, and now Hinata excels in ways that even I haven't yet! How! How can those who are destined by fate to lose, turn against it?'

"Ya know..."

Glancing sideways, the branch genius looked to find the whiskered blond at his side, with a growl he replied.

"What is it?"

"Jealousy doesn't become you, Neji-san."

Releasing his hold on the rail, the boy whipped to the other nin as he hissed,"What did you say?"

A nonchalant gaze met his silently burning one,"You heard me. If you're gonna be a bitch about it, why don't you turn that focus into a drive. Look at it as a means to get stronger, so you won't be left behind, that is..If you wish to also rebel against 'fate's' place for you."

"What would you know? Fate has ordained you blessed, ever since birth."

"Having both my parents lost isn't what I would call blessed, Neji, and neither is having the childhood that I was raised in. I've fought fate my entire life, and I continue to do so, you can't speak of fate if you've never made any effort to make your own destiny. Hinata, at least, I can give that credit to."

A scowl that could've froze a bursting volcano came upon the young Hyuga's visage, not that it bothered the blonde at all. With a grunt, the brunette turned back towards the screen, yet his thoughts were on anything but the match.

* * *

**~Forest~**

"**Futon:Kaze Shuriken.**"

A dozen blades of wind soared into the mist, rapidly dispersing it until a clear space once again dominated under the canopy. Glancing around, the kunoichi jumped high, just as a hand tore through the earth to grab at her. Pointing towards the hole with her palm, Hinata fired another needle into it, and the poof of a bunshin was once more revealed. "Hokage-sama! I thought you were gonna get serious? If this is it, I'm gonna get bored."

"**Doton: Doryūdan**"

A dragon's head emerged from the muddy section of earth from earlier and opened its mouth, firing off shells of compact mud at the female. Shutting down her eyes, she began dancing; graceful slides, elegant spins, calm shifts from right to left, and brief turns all gave the flow of her maneuvers a liquid styling as she evaded the attacks. Once the move ended, the old monkey came from behind a tree branch above her, nodding his head decisively.

"Un. I wouldn't want to bore you, now would I? You did very well dodging my last jutsu, it was very beautiful Hinata."

A small blush formed on her cheeks at the praise,"Arigato." Killing the sentiment, she smirked as she responded again,"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but this is where I get serious as well. Ame." The rain began to pour lightly as the two stood in their positions, and without a single seal, four clones formed from out of a puddle and vanished suddenly. The entire display brought Sarutobi's brow up in curiosity,'What are you planning?'

Drawing a couple shuriken, the bluenette let the ninja stars fly, as she vanished from sight herself. Though noted, the shinobi couldn't think on it as he dodged the projectiles with a single leap. "Gotcha!" Turning in mid-air, the old kage saw as the girl dropped on him from above, crossing his arms he braced himself. Contorting into a heel drop, the agility displayed by the youth was in full bloom as she twisted into a series of kicks, slamming her opponent further down until a wall of earth shot up from the ground.

Quickly adjusting, Hiruzen flipped into a crouch on top of the wall as Hinata landed beneath him. Flying through a number of seals, his progress was halted as he was hit from behind, righting himself he landed and turned to face his attacker. Seeing Hinata atop the wall, he was about to begin his attempt again, only for another voice to cry out a jutsu.

"**Suiton:Suiryudan no jutsu!**"

Facing the direction of the attack, the monkey-user began to speed through signs, yet once more he was halted as a green seal appeared beneath him. 'What?'

A splash was heard as the attack connected, forcing the elderly ninja into the air, yet as he descended he regained his balance and fell into a stance once he landed. However, he was frozen immediately afterword, a situation that forced a verbal response. "Nani?"

Another blue-haired teen came into his peripheral, in a stance he recognized all too well, but that wasn't what caused his surprise. Clone after clone of the girl began appearing out of nowhere, as if they just popped into existence. 'I didn't know she had this much chakra, she's on par with Naruto if she's creating this many clones.'

"What are you doing?"

"**Hakke San Hyaku Hachijūyon Shō Naitei Higyou!**" **(A/N:Try sayin' this five times fast!)**

The hokage was barraged by a dozen clones pouring jyuken powered blow after blow, yet all in all, it lasted only a few seconds. In the end, the old man laid in a crumpled heap, completely paralyzed. Standing over him, it was then that she answered,"The technique I just used was the combined result of experimenting and one of my own jutsu designs. I stumbled upon it while trying to make my own invisibility jutsu."

* * *

_**Flashback**_

Hunched forward with her hands on her knees, Hinata stood soaked from head to toe, gasping deeply for breath.

"W-what was that?"

Kura-okami stood impassively, though the smile on her face gave a warm and playful aura to her. "_What do you mean?_"

"Don-don't give me that! You-know..good and well...what I'm talkin' about!"

Nodding, the deity answered with a bit of mirth in her voice,"_Ah! Well, you did quite well for only having master seal-less suiton bunshin. Now, we can move onto the difficult subject._"

"Nani? That wasn't the hard stuff! It took me forever just to get that special clone down, how am I gonna get the other technique when we only have another 6 hours left?"

Kneeling in front of the girl, the goddess cupped her chin and kissed her forehead, eliciting a blush from said teen.

"_Do not be worried, having mastered this specific clone is what is going to make the next jutsu all the easier. Since the human body is composed mostly of water, using suiton jutsu is possible on a small scale. However, with your control over water, you could summon the water you need not just from your body, but from the moisture in the very air around you. With that, your clone have their own source of chakra, and they have a nearly unlimited source of water..as you can see the uses are quite numerous, no?_"

"Yes, I get that. What I'm not getting is how I'm going to use water to be come invisible."

"_Gomen, but with you being a mortal, it would be impossible to use this technique. Why is because even though most of your composition is that of water, you still have vital points such as your organs that cannot be converted into pure water..not without a kekkei genkai at least, and because the shift occurs on a molecular level, if your body isn't designed to handle such a transformation it would kill you upon completion._"

A downcast look fell on her as she responded,"Oh." Yet, she quickly recovered, and stated her thought. "So wait, if I can't use it, you're saying the clones can?"

"_Exactly. With their composition, they are perfect for the technique, as it would hide their presence and signature until they were directly upon an opponent. Also, it would appear as though you either were leaving after images or were simply appearing in those positions. A skilled eye could tell them as clones, but even then, you could do mass scale jutsu quite easily since the clones have their own chakra and can sustain themselves._"

Hinata's body went ramrod straight after that comment, the proverbial 'eureka moment' going off for her as she went to once more summoning a couple of clones."_Hinata, what are you thinking about?_"

Each 'Hinata' dropped into the Jūkenpō stance,"This! **Hakke Sanjūni Shō!**"

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

"The idea was that with the clones I made, I'd be able to create combination attacks that not many enemies would be able to escape. Given that they'd be trapped by invisible clones, and in keeping each clone's attack at the thirty-two palms, they'd still have chakra left over for a follow up technique or a distraction if I needed one."

The hokage was astounded, the depth and ingenuity of it all was simply profound. It was so...so...Naruto-like that it could only be called a stroke of genius, even by his standing as the Professor and Kami no Shinobi. 'To think she came up with such a powerful set of skills on her own..the girl's a genius herself for sure!'

The proctor dropped into the field, to find the Hyuga girl standing over the Hokage, his mouth dropped to the ground in disbelief. "The match has ended, Hyuga Hinata is the winner!"

**~Arena~**

"What?"

It was unanimous, the dead silence after the shout, as everyone digested the information they were just told. The hokage, was beaten, by a genin.

**~Viewing Port~**

"Tch. Damn Jiji, should've gotten serious from jump...Oh well, lesson learned." Sighing, Naruto leaned against the railing as he glanced up at the sky above.

"Indeed. I can't believe he didn't think her a threat. I mean, she trained with you, and by herself for a long amount of time. I don't think she was even close to going all out either."

Facing Mei, the blonde shook his head as his answer was given,"You're right, even I sensed that. She wasn't trying til that last move, and she did some serious damage...wonder if she'll fight me now."

"Keep it in your pants, gaki. There'll be plenty of time to 'spar' later."

**~Booth~**

Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned, their sensei had been defeated, and by a girl two generations younger than him. Chuckling to himself, the toad-sage said,"Wow. I can't believe she was holding back too."

"Me neither. I think that we really need to get back to training."

"No kidding, Tsunade-hime."

The shared thought at that moments being,'Just how strong are these kids?'

* * *

A week later found the results of the tournament in full swing, the chain of command hadn't changed any, though there were a few promotions throughout the week. Every ninja in konoha was training diligently, trying to grow to a level closer to that of the 'Konoha Neo Sannin'. That title had been passed around by everyone since the three genin not only won the tournament, but kept up and even managed to draw, or beat in one case the top three shinobi in the entire village as genin.

To say they weren't popular, well, that would be calling a swamp dry land. Naruto, poor boy, had become akin to Sasuke with the amount of fandom he was receiving from his own generation as once news got out that he trained Sakura everyone was asking for 'lessons'. Mei was even harder to find for those that actively searched for her, and Tenten seemed to vanish from time to time as well. Hinata, however, was ambushed by dozens of shinobi on a daily basis as they tried to earn the attention of the one who beat the hokage.

**~Hokage Monument~**

Sighing, the blonde laid down on the grass as he gazed at the sky atop the fourth's head. Closing his eyes, he let himself succumb to unconsciousness, yet upon awaking he realized something was very wrong. 'What the hell am I doing in a sewer?'

**&Fin&**

**(A/N): That's a wrap people! Hopefully, you're alright with this for now, as we're about to get into my favorite arc...WAVE! Yatta! Anywhatyamacallsit, if there was something you didn't like...ya know the drill review! Since I don't get a lot of them, I tend to actually listen to those that do. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Hakke San Hyaku Hachijūyon Shō Naitei Higyou**:**Eight Trigrams Three Hundred Eighty-Four Palms Harem Strike**-_ (Reader who figures how this was made and how it works gets digital cookie!)_

Omake:

"**Suiton:Suiryudan no jutsu!**"

Facing the direction of the attack, the monkey-user began to speed through signs, yet once more he was halted as a green seal appeared beneath him. 'What?'

A splash was heard as the attack connected, forcing the elderly ninja into the air, yet as he descended he regained his balance and fell into a stance once he landed. However, he was frozen immediately afterword, a situation that forced a verbal response. "Nani?"

Another blue-haired teen came into his peripheral, in a stance he recognized all too well, but that wasn't what caused his surprise. Clone after clone of the girl began appearing out of nowhere, as if they just popped into existence.

"What are you doing?"

"**Hāremu no Jutsu!**"

"Winner by knockout, Hyuga Hinata!"

Poke.

Poke. Poke.

"Oi! You still alive?"

Standing over her aged leader, she began poking him with a stick...yet, much to her chagrin there were swirls in his eyes, a bloody puddle erupting from his nose, and was that a group of chibi models of her sexy form with a bunch of chimps in a conga line?

"Now I get what Mei was tellin' me...shameful old coot."

Shaking her head, the bluenette walked away muttering about perverted old monkeys and wondering how her mysterious acquaintance knew about Sarutobi's weakness.

**=End=**


	24. The Blossom & The Bridge

**(A/N): Yo! How ya doin' people? After a long time of being caught up on the job, I finally have time to get this latest chapter to you! On to the Wave Arc! Hope ya like it!  
**

"Normal Speech"

'Normal thought'

_"'Handsigns'"_

_(Divine or ethereal location)  
_

**"Jutsu(translation)"**

**"Demonic Speech"**

**'Demonic Thought'  
**

_"Ethereal or differing Speech"_

_'Ethereal or differing thoughts'_

**_"GOD(Powerful Individual) SPEECH"_**

* * *

**CH. 23 The Blossom & The Bridge  
**

Walking down the watery pathway, the genin found himself in a spacious area with an enormous cage in front of him with a tag that said 'seal' on it in kanji. "Woah, that's not something you see everyday."

"**You're right, you don't.**"

"Who's there, show yourself!"

Scanning the room, Naruto saw nothing, and heard the disembodied voice from seemingly everywhere at once. His gaze turned towards the wall to his right, and that's where his attention was kept, before him was an image; a large image of Konoha's leaf, a larger depiction of a katana was placed inside of it, and encompassing it all was a huge Torii Gate. Mesmerized, he was about to touch it, until the voice spoke once more.

"**So, you finally show up, and your skill set is more interesting than the one who's been with you since the day you were born. Nice, kit.**"

Turning, the Uzumaki faced the cage, or rather the pair of giant crimson eyes inside of it. "Who...wait, since the day I was born?...Kyuubi?"

"**Good. Glad you haven't forgotten me, I'd have punished you if you had.**"

Shaking his head with a sigh, the male asked,"First my father, and now you..What do you want? I doubt you just wanted to talk me."

With a small growl, the fox spoke again,"**You're right. I've brought you here because we need to talk, you were given the ability to control fire..my natural element. Hell, you were given pyrokinesis, a power even I wasn't granted by Amaterasu-dono.**"

Shrugging, the blond replied,"So, what, you just wanted to tell me that I got something you didn't. That's a bit-odd, don't ya think?"

A red claw shot from the darkness of the cell, stopping a mere couple of inches from the boy's face. A small smirk formed on his face as the bijuu continued,"**Don't antagonize me brat, I was going to say that I was impressed by your strength, for a human anyway. However, for what you're going to be encountering in the days ahead, you're going to need to be stronger still.**"

Blinking, the shinobi said,"Okay, so are you saying that you'll help me?"

"**Yes. I'll give you access to my chakra, seeing as that should give you an advantage of some kind, though you won't be able to use all of it.**"

"What! Why not? You better-"

"**Because I don't have all of my chakra to begin with! Your idiot father sealed my other half within himself, so you won't be able to use all of my chakra, and even if I did have all of it, your body wouldn't be able to handle the poisonous nature of my chakra without some...interesting changes.**"

A confused face present, the blonde responded,"I see. Then, how many tails do have access to?"

"**Four, but fortunately it's my chakra aspects...**"

"Meaning?"

A rumble came from the fox, apparently it was laughing,"**Meaning you can use my cloak..and..foxfire.**"

"Foxfire?"

"**Yes, it is the last of the immortal flames, aside from Amaterasu's and Whitefire. It's touch is as cold as ice, and it lasts for three days. Not as long as Amaterasu's seven day span, or even whitefire's five, but good enough don't you think?**"

The genin was silent, a low whistle the only response given before he found his voice once more,"Sugoi...Sounds pretty interesting, alright, so when do we get started?"

"**Later, you got company. We'll talk some other time, don't worry.**"

Conscious, yet without opening his eyes,the blonde spoke to his unknown visitor. "Ya know, it's not polite to sneak up on people, but...we are in a shinobi village, so I digress. What is it that you want?"

A small gasp of surprise came from whoever it was there, but by the sound of the voice, the blonde deciphered that it was a female. After a momentary pause, the voice returned, cosigning his thoughts on the gender of the speaker. "I am here to inform you that Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you, Naruto-sama."

'Naruto-sama?'

Noting the suffix, the genin merely gets to his feet and faces his messenger, a female ANBU with brown hair and a mask in the shape of a tortoise. Nodding to her, they both shunshined into the hallway of the Hokage's tower, and with a knock on the door, the ANBU disappeared in another display of high-speed movement.

'_**Impressive. For a ningen female.**_'

'Kyuubi? What the hell-'

'**_Relax Kit, it's a mental rapport. This way we can communicate without the need of having to bring your mind here every time..or do you like spending time in the sewers?_**'

The mirth held in that thought was enough for the blonde to merely roll his eyes and enter as Sarutobi's voice had instructed him to, and upon entering, he was greeted by a confusing sight. Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with Hinata and Mei, were all presently standing before the Kage's desk.

Tsunade reacted verbally first, speaking with a slight smirk,"Oh, so the brat's finally here."

"Oi, Jiji, having an office party?"

Coughing, the old man smiled as responded,"Hello Naruto-kun, we're going over team placements."

* * *

Everyone present became interested as the hokage kept speaking,"I've decided what the teams are to be and have been informing said teams all day. However, with your group being the last, I wish to cover something else entirely, any guesses?"

Nodding, the blonde closed his eyes before asking his question,"Hai, if the three of us are here, and we qualified to battle you and the other two...could..we be getting promoted?"

Quirking an eyebrow, the elder ninja chuckled lightly,"Ever the observant one you are. That is the subject of this discussion, yes, but it is also about a mission that I feel requires your...obviously restrained skills. As of now, you three are unofficial chunin of the leaf, yet we will have to postpone your promotion ceremony until the chuunin Exams."

Mei raised her hand into the air before asking,"Pardon, Hokage-dono, but may I ask why?"

"Of course, Jiraiya?"

Acknowledging his turn, the white-haired sannin leaned against a wall and folded his arms as he answered,"I've received reports from my spy network informing me that Tsunade and I's old teammate, Orochimaru, is on the move."

This brought everyone to full attention,"It is said that he's joined up with our allies in Suna, and is planning to attack us sometime during the chuunin exams. I've also heard...a rumor, that he is after Sasuke Uchiha, though for what reason-"

"Should be pretty obvious to every person in this room." Naruto interrupted, a slight glance to Hinata had her putting in her two cents,"He could be after the Sharingan, I mean with it and his legendary skills-"

"He'd be hard pressed to find an enemy he couldn't copy and then overpower." Finished Mei, looking to her teacher with a look of dead seriousness on her face.

A coughing toad sage responded,"Well, sensei, you were right. These kids are good."

A smile was on old Sarutobi's lips as he said,"Moreso than even I know, Jiraiya." Then facing the three genin before him he turned back to Hokage mode,"Now, the mission you three have is to observe and guard Sasuke Uchiha. Given the history that you all have with him, I believe you three will have little to no difficulty in completing this mission until the advent of the Chuunin Exams, correct?"

Naruto scoffed as his arms folded across his breast,"Jiji, you should really read the reports turned in to you. Sasuke and I hate each other, and-"

"It makes it all the easier to guard him, since he wants to know the source of your strength, and is constantly trying to find where it is you train so he can gleam that information. There is an old saying, that one should keep their friends close, and their enemies closer. The same stands for you young Hinata, his attraction towards you will keep him by your side throughout the duration of this mission. As for Mei, she will be serving as Tokubetsu Chunin and leading the three of you."

Mei looked to her fellow bonded with an expression akin to a shark having smelled blood in the water, sending a shiver down both secret chunin's spines,"That aside, Sasuke is _not _to know you have been promoted. So, we have yet another mission that you shall be dealing with as genin of exceptional skill, Kakashi come on in."

Blue eyes turned to spot a tall silver-haired man wearing a standard jounin vest and shinobi attire, but he wore his hitai-ate over his left eye, and the longer the blonde gazed at the man the more he felt a familiar aura coming from him. This went on for a bit before a voice stepped in,"Geez, I didn't know you were gay, blondie."

All eyes turned to Sasuke as he wore a smirk upon his face, growling, the blonde seemed to have lost his interest in the one eyed man before him, then his eyes widened,"Wait. You mean _he's_ on our team?" Coughing, the elder shinobi spoke in an amused tone,"Well, let me get started on why you all are here.. Given all of your performances in the this past tournament, I believe all of you capable of handling yourselves on a certain..mission. I will have Mei here as leader, but for protection and assurance to our client I will have a jounin escorting you on said mission. It's nothing fancy, just a C-rank bodyguarding detail. I've been informed by the client that you shouldn't encounter anything more threatening than bandits as you escort them to Nami. Bring in Tazuna-san please!"

* * *

As the doors opened, an elderly man with grey hair strolled in. His clothes resembled rags moreso than actual clothing colored a powdery gray, and his silver-rimmed glasses hung off his nose as glazed irises surveyed the group before him drunkenly.

"What! I pay all that money, and all I get is a squad of brats playing dress-up? None of these kids even look like ninja..especially that little shrimpy blonde one with the sword!"

All eyes turned upon the described youth with a slight apprehension, Naruto for his part, had a small gleam of mischievousness in his eye as he spoke. "Ya know, it would be wise to keep one's thoughts to themselves.."

_Click._

"Especially, if they insult the very people meant to protect you."

The client paled as he felt cold steel on his throat, looks of shock were seen as from out behind behind the man walked Sakura, sword already out and wearing a wicked smile on her face. The sensation of a near death experience was more than enough to sober the old man back to his wits, though the pinkette's actions brought one thing to the forefront.

'Where did she come from?' Was the general thought processing amongst the majority of those present.

Sheathing her blade, the jade-eyed girl merely walked over to stand beside a certain whiskered Hyuga, a cheshire grin present on her face as Naruto continued speaking,"Mind explaining what Sakura's doing here..Jiji?"

"Well-"

A giggle came from the girl as she spoke up, cutting the old flame shadows words short,"I'm here because I have a familial obligation. My family is sending me on an errand run in Wave, and I'm going to be going with my squad. So, I'll be acting as shinobi guide for you all in case Tazuna-san isn't feeling up to it for whatever reason or we get separated, that alright Naruto-sensei?"

A sigh escaped the boy's lips as he replied,"You could've just said that when I first asked. Baka, forever making life difficult."

"Well then, why don't you all go home to prepare for this trip. Pack what you can for about a month's travel, and meet back by the south gate in twenty minutes." The silver-haired scarecrow spoke in a bored tone as he quickly shunshined out of the office. This action was immediately imitated by all those who could, leaving a frustrated Uchiha fuming.

A hearty chuckle was elicited from the hokage as he spoke to the boy,"Oh? Kakashi didn't teach you that did he? Well, good luck on your mission, now I'd get a move on if I were you."

A growling "Hn" was his only answer as he watched the raven-haired child run out of the office and back towards his compound.

* * *

**(Namikaze Estate)**

Naruto strolled through his bedroom gathering his necessary equipment, placing everything into storage scrolls as he went through a mental checklist. He changed his clothing as well in preparation for his journey outside of Konoha's walls. His attire consisted of black cargo pants with numerous pockets, and a twin set of fabric with hooks criss-crossing around his legs.(Think Agito's pants from air gear with pockets and black coloring.) His top was a grey sleeveless vest with a hood, over top a long-sleeved white shirt that hid his hands from view with a black fishnet shirt underneath. On his feet were a pair of black shinobi sandals, overall,"I look pretty damn cool.." Said blonde thought aloud as he once-overed himself by a mirror.

'Extra clothes, check. Gear, check. Tent and fire set, check. Hmm, if we won't be facing anything more than bandits, I guess I could leave my blade-nevermind, I'll just stash them, just in case.'

Pulling a smaller scroll, he sealed his swords into it and placed the scroll into one of his pants pockets. Once he double checked his gear, he made out of his home and headed out for his rendezvous point.

**(South Gate 20 minutes Later)**

All those who needed to be there were present, even Kakashi, as the blonde made his way towards the gates. Alongside him was a woman that he hadn't met before, she wore a battle dress of sorts, it resembled white medical wrapping all the way around her frame and yet it had what appeared to be a black thorn pattern weaved into it and a single red sleeve on her right arm. Her hands were manicured and painted in a violet color, and were devoid of the stereotypical blistering that their occupation was notorious for inflicting upon them. Blue sandals covered her otherwise bare feet, and she was without a shuriken or kunai holster, but there was one thing that really caught the blonde's eye.

Aside from the main of shaggy black hair that stretched seemingly to the middle of her back, she held a pair of shimmering rubies for eyes, with a single ring around her pupil. Those twin orbs of scarlet drew him, deep as they were beautiful, and soon enough he found them locked upon his form.

"Naruto! You awake?"

Spluttering for a second, the young man found his voice while sporting a deep crimson on his cheeks,"Y-yea, what is it?"

"Geez, you were spacing on us. What's a matter? You sick?"

"No! I'm fine, I just..had something on my mind is all. Running through my list, ya know?"

"Fine, just don't let it happen again. We're on a mission for cryin' out loud!"

With a mute nod, the blonde followed after his blue-haired partner, fully aware of a lingering gaze upon his person.

_**'I like that one kit, she's got all the making of a mate in her, and I sense she uses genjutsu...not as strong as ours, but still, a fox has to acknowledge her chosen field in following my kinds' footsteps.'**_

'Urusei, Kyuubi. What are you going on about anyway? She's not a mate she's a woman, try to show a little more respect would ya?'

**_'Oho! Seems you do have a thing for gem-eyed girls. Fine, deal with her as you see fit. I'll leave her to you, ningen.'_**

At the twos approach, Kakashi spoke,"Good, looks like we're all here. Now, for the sake of cooperation, I'd like to introduce to you all Yuuhi Kurenai. She's a jounin specializing in genjutsu use, and, this is her genin team. I'm sure you all know one another, so now that everything is covered, let's be on our way."

* * *

As the group traveled, Naruto found himself conversing with Kyuubi moreso than anyone else, as their walk was a rather silent one. The groups primarily stayed to themselves, with only one or two questions being directed towards Sakura or Tazuna. Soon enough, however, the sapphire-eyed ninja found himself on the end of a question.

"Uzumaki-san?"

"Hm?"

"I'm curious, how is that you got so powerful in so short a time?"

A raised eyebrow was his silent response as he faced the person who spoke,"What do mean, Kurenai-sensei?"

Locking eyes, ruby met cerulean as Kurenai went on,"I mean, based on your academy records, you were barely around average level for a shinobi. Though, from your performance at the tournament, you far exceed even my skill level."

This statement brought shocked looks from each of the genin in the group, Tazuna even turned his gaze upon the woman, as he registered exactly what her words implied. "Wait, you mean to tell me that this kid is as strong as one of you elites?"

Sakura turned a glare at the old bridge builder and spoke with a sneer,"Ah, does this mean you're gonna apologize for insulting us earlier? He's not the only strong one here ya know."

With a clearly audible gulp, the elder nodded,"I'm sorry if I offended you at all, ya see, in my village the bridge I'm making is of the utmost importance...it will be the way out for our people to pull away from the tyrant ruling and ruining the land."

Kakashi spoke up at that point about Gatou and his company's vice grip on Nami's economic pulse, and had Tazuna elaborate, by the end of his speech the shinobi were determined to go to Wave and slay the little bastard. (AN:Who's to say they wouldn't do just that?) Although, as this was going on, only a select few noticed the medium sized puddle of water on the ground as they passed. And, even fewer noticed right away what it was. Their journey went on with Kakashi a little ways ahead of the group, and the mood was light as the groups began to converse with one another, but everything came to a stop when the rattle of a chain echoed about and Kakashi was suddenly ripped apart before everyone's eyes.

* * *

A/N: Well, hope you guys like the cliffy. I want to go into the action sooo bad, but I haven't figured that out fully yet. I will by next chap though, and this is something to hold you lovely duckies over til I straighten some things out. Sorry for the wait, And I will get out another chap ASAP!

GK,

Over & Out


	25. First Encounters

**(A/N):**Ok people! I'm back, and with the little time I have, I want to give a special thanks to all of you readers who actually reviewed. It means a lot to me to here what my fans think, so I can make a better story for you all, and so that I can continue to rake in my dolla bills!...Just kidding!

**Senjuuchiha:**Thank you so much for the love man!

**Culebra del sol:**You are amazing! Thanks for the support!

**CalcBoy91:**You, my friend, are the reason this story has lifeblood! Arigatou!

**god of all:**Thanx for the words of luv! Makes me all warm on the inside! lolz

**Blackholelord:**Thank you for your support of my work as well man!

**Irish Shift:**Shifty! You know, without you, this story would probably be a lot worse off than it is now haha

**Maximus05:**You are a wonderful reader, precious, and so..I bow to your greatness! Thanx a lot man.

All of these reviewers, and they help make this story update quicker than it normally would. Thank them, thank them NOW!

Ahem, now that this is done with, I want to get on with the show...err, story. Hope you like how I did it, considering that I had so few poll answers to work with! I was giving you a chance to shape the story ppl!

* * *

**Ch. 24 First Encounter  
**

"Kakashi-sensei!"

_This...shouldn't have happened. He was just there, right? What kind of monster...does such a thing? The answer came in the form of a chuckle from the black clad pair in front of them_,"Heh, one down...5 to go."

Five? Wait, that wasn't right...

_A glance around revealed that there was indeed only five people present to fight; Sasuke stood at the ready at the front, Shino was as stoic as ever off to the right, a brief look behind showed Sakura and Tazuna as still as a pair of statues...though a closer inspection showed the pinkette already on guard with her hand on her sword's hilt. Just where in the hell was everybody else? Were they killed as well? No, no way. With two jounin and a special chunin backing them up? That's impossible!_

_But, what other thoughts could one have when there was nobody else present to help them?_

"Kiba! Focus, we have an enemy incoming!"

Snapping eyes forward, true enough there were the two..murderers from before, charging headfirst into the group. Shock quickly gave way to rage, and from there it morphed into bloodlust. 'Kill my comrades, will they? Then, I'll rip them limb from fucking limb!'

A feral growl lurched from his throat as he drew a kunai and hurled it, hoping to will his wrath forward to hit a vital point. It missed as the shinobi ducked under it, but he paid for it, as Sasuke's foot connected with his chin. A hiss brought his attention to Shino, who had launched a duo of kunai and shuriken, both of which impacted with the chain in between the two assailants. It caught, and further extended the razor sharp metal until it halted in the base of a tree.

"Ikinasai, Kiba."

Charging forward, the Inuzuka snarled viciously as he pulled out a pill and slung it towards his partner. The pup caught it mid-flight, and in a burst of chakra turned into another Kiba; wordlessly, the duo began to spin, in synch and catapult into the two ninja who were being occupied by Sasuke. "Gatsuga!"

The raven-haired youth, crouching on the gauntlets of the enemy, smirked as he mule kicked them in the face and leapt out of the way of the coming attack. Though, so did the two nin, as they detached their chain to evade. This however proved to be a mistake, as a set of basketball-sized fireballs almost hit them as they moved. Evading the jutsu, they landed off-balance, but that was all that was needed before their worlds suddenly went black..

"Well, this is a surprise. You all did really well, I'm proud of you."

"N-nani? I thought you were dead?"

There before them, holding their opponents in a headlock, was the once-dead Kakashi. The man eye-smiled at them before speaking,"Me? No, I just wanted to check something before, and I wouldn't have seen it if I was busy fighting them. Though, I'm curious, what was the rest of you alls' reasons for leaving them?"

As one, the rest of those 'missing' appeared from their hiding spots as Naruto spoke up,"I saw no reason to fight two shinobi that Sakura could've beat in her sleep. Besides, the guys dealt with them pretty easily."

Kurenai fading into view from thin air spoke right after saying,"My reasoning was the same as Kakashi's, though this was a test for my own genin just as much as his. I must say, I'm impressed that you all handled yourselves so well on your first real mission. However, Tazuna-san, we are going to have words later." The steel in her tone sent a shiver down the males' backs as it gave no room for lenience, and promised quite a bit of pain.

Hinata and Mei walked out from opposite sides of the forest, giving basically the same reason as the blonde before them had, and again giving accolades to the genin squad. All the while, the squad basked in their limelight for what they were worth. This ended though, when Kiba walked up to the one-eyed scarecrow, and decked him clean across the jaw. Breathing heavy, he responded,"Don't. Ever. Do that. Again." The gang was stunned by the bestial boy's actions, but to add onto that Kakashi merely nodded and said,"I won't, but right now we need to handle that wound, otherwise you're going to die from being poisoned."

Looking down at his side, the Inuzuka cursed,"Kuso. That's what this was? It must've been laced on the chain they were using. How are we gonna do this?"

Kakashi merely shrugged,"I believe Kurenai can handle this a bit better than I can, I've got to have a little chat with our two friends here for a moment, but don't worry..I'll be back as soon as I'm finished." With that, he vanished from the group, with the enemy shinobi in tow. All eyes turned to Kurenai as the woman coughed to draw attention,"Well, first things first, Kiba you have to take your shirt off so I can properly remove the poison and dress the wound. Naruto, Mei, and Hinata I need you all to make a perimeter until Kakashi comes back...and even then be on guard, with shinobi out here we can't be sure if it'll really be him or another attempted strike. Shino, Sasuke, and Sakura continue to safeguard Tazuna, and err on the side of caution."

As everyone began to perform their respective actions, Naruto called for a halt as he looked down the road behind them,"Hinata, Mei. Where's Sasuke?"

Both girls flanked him almost immediately as Mei spoke,"He's just up and dissappeared, and for the record, I vote to beat Sasuke to an inch of his life...and hang him by his balls from the nose of the 3rd hokage." When both turned to look at her she replied,"What? The little snot has always caused problems for you two, I figured you might enjoy a bit of payback."

Shaking her head, Hinata interjected,"Hmm, no, it'd be easier if we tied him up bukkake style and then gagged him...he'd be less likely to move or use jutsu to escape."

"Even if, that would be a great idea, I'm not trying to cause waves anytime soon...yet. I have enough problems of my own as it is," sighed the blonde as he too shook his head. "I'll go get the prick, you guys let Kurenai know what's going on."

That said, he leaped into the treeline and vanished from sight as Mei turned towards the red-eyed jounin. "Kurenai-sensei, we have a problem."

* * *

Sasuke shot through the forest canopy in a blur of speed, his mind focused on one thing,'Where did Kakashi go with those two nin?'

So lost was he in his own thoughts, that he failed to notice the shadow advancing upon his back until it was too late.

* * *

Kakashi returned to his group in a puff of smoke and a small wave,"Yo!" However, he was slightly confused at absence of reply, but in scanning his surroundings he noticed something...something very, very wrong.

"Guys, where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

Kurenai walked up to the masked jounin with a sense of apprehension as she answered,"Naruto-san is out looking for Sasuke. He's searching with his clones and will be back shortly."

"Che. What happened?"

Mei spoke then,"We don't know, one second Kurenai's giving orders, and the next thing we know Sasuke was up a moving in the direction we thought you had gone. Maybe he was following you, or rather, trying to."

A sigh emanated from the silver-haired ninja as he pulled a scroll from his vest, bit his thumb, and smeared a thin line onto it after unraveling the scroll. A pop and small explosion later found the group faced with a package of sorts, but he didn't stop there as he flipped through handsigns once more before slamming his hands on the ground with a call of his technique.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

A pack of dogs encompassed the scarecrow as he informed them of what he needed, and as soon as he finished he gave them the package for a few seconds, and then they were off. Before anyone could ask for an explanation, Kurenai said,"What you just saw, was a shinobi summoning. It is a very ancient and powerful technique that not a lot of ninja are capable of using."

Kiba, holding his side a bit, voiced his question. "Why not? I didn't see anything so special about what he did."

"The reason is because it requires a contract between shinobi and summoned creature, and even if one gained a contract, you then have to have the chakra necessary to power the jutsu. It calls your summon to you from an alternate dimension, and the stronger the summon, the higher the jutsu's chakra requirement. Most average ninja just don't have it their reserves to use such a costly technique, but it is that aspect that speaks for the strength and skill of the shinobi."

Rubbing his head, Kiba grunted,"So, what, it's supposed to make you a better ninja? If that's the case, I'm gonna stick to what I know, right Akamaru?" A yip was his answer as the puppy came to stand at his master's (Or pet's, depending on who you ask) feet.

Mei's laughter brought the attention to her as she held herself and bent over, and with a small irritated growl, Kiba probed. "Oi, what's so funny?"

"Uhah, it's that...you say that, and it's pretty much how Naru, me, and Hinata ended up as strong as we are! Ahahaha!"

Wide-eyed stares followed that statement as everyone continue to watch Mei in her laughing fit. Though, the silence was soon broken by a yell of pure anger,"Baka! Why would you go off telling how it is we gained our strength?"

The switch happened immediately. Mei had stopped laughing, and was directly in Hinata's face, with her voice quiet as the grave. "Simple. Because in order for them to to get anywhere near mine, they are going to have to _take it_, and _no one_ is going to lay a finger on it as long as I breathe. What about you Hinata? I know for a fact that Naruto shares my sentiments."

A slight stutter came from the girl before her rebuttle,"H-how came you even claim that? You don't know Naruto! You just came here and now your trying to speak as though you've been around him his entire life, in which case, _I have_!"

A short chuckle came from the mahogany-haired kunoichi as she nodded,"So that's what this was about. You staking your claim...Well, pardon me then _Hime_, but you're gonna have a lot more competition to deal with as time goes on. Naru-kun is quite cute after all."

Another stuttering fit hit before she could reply,"T-t-that's not it! I wasn't st-t-taking a claim, I was merely saying that-"

"Now, now Hime-chan. No need to get all worked up, if you want him, you're gonna have to fight for him is all I'm saying."

The girl was flustered a near neon red before she screamed at the other girl,"U-urusai! Baka no Mei!"

Kurenai, having enough, curtly yelled,"Girls! Cut it out. I will not have you two fighting like academy fangirls here when we're on a mission, I expect better of you than that."

Twin calls of,"Hai!" rang as they settled into positions near the jounin's sides. She turned to the old bridge builder, and could see the man's nervousness increasing as time went on, and with a frustrated breath got up and walked over.

"Tazuna-san. We need to have that talk now."

The man jumped slightly at being called, yet his ire never left as he saw who it was that called him. With a swig from his flask, the elder gathered his composure enough to speak in his usual tone,"Yeah, so what's on your mind?"

Without missing a beat, the woman retorted,"Why have you been lying to us? This mission is above the average C-rank by quite a bit with the involvement of shinobi, and it's too much for a genin team to handle normally on their own."

Tazuna was stunned, he'd been figured out. Shoulders slumped, the man began to tell his real story as he went back into how Gato drained all Wave resources and that the C-rank pay was all that he could afford. He would've continued into a guilt trip had it not been for Sakura's intervention,"Ya know, for a rude old man, that's pretty admirable... I'm sure Naruto-sensei will agree, and if that's the case, you'll still have your protection. Once the guys get back with Sasuke, we'll have to be moving on, since we kinda have a limited window to get to my family's medical transport. Good luck with your bridge though."

He sighed and took another gulp of his sake,"I'm getting to old for this..."

* * *

Darkness, that is what Sasuke's eyes were met with when they first opened. No matter where he looked, it was the same empty blackness that pervaded his vision. "Ah! He's awake!"

"Good. Take the hood off."

Almost immediately, shadow turned into blinding brightness as his vision was restored. It stung his eyes, forcing them closed, where was he?

"Well, tell us your name."

"Who are you guys? Where am I?"

Adjusting to the light, he slowly allowed himself to look around, he was still in the forest apparently. It turns out that they were merely in a break in the treeline and it was full of even grass, open space, and sunlight as it was right over them. Bringing his head up, he met face to face with a tuft of reddish-gold hair, and following that was a snow white porcelain mask in the form of a fox, and inside its eye slits were a pair of blazing emerald eyes. Sasuke was a bit taken back by the fierceness of her gaze, even if she wasn't being hostile towards him, he shivered a bit at the thought of her actually getting upset though."Tell. Us. Your. Name."

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, Uchiha-san. We are representatives for the Mishima Corporation, it is our duty to deal with...certain targets of interest, and in this instance we need your assistance."

Scoffing, the Uchiha responded,"So basically, your glorified assassins. What do you want from me?"

He flinched ever so slightly at the blade that appeared at his throat, when he heard a voice in his ear,"I wouldn't speak so lightly if I were you...boy. Regardless of pleasantries, we are still killers, and I for one have no qualms with ending a stuck-up gaki like you."

Swallowing a dry gulp of air, the young genin merely "Hn'd". Once the blade was removed, the other person present decided to speak,"You are going to tell what you know of one Mibu Sakura. She is a kunoichi of Konoha, is she not?"

Mibu? There was no such clan in Konoha, nor was there any in the academy. Sakura? Wait, they don't mean _that_ Sakura?

"There's no such person as Mibu Sakura, but the only one I really know is Haruno Sakura, my old classmate. What do you want her for?"

The two were silent for a moment before the voice from before replied,"That is classified. We are here to send a message, no more nor less. Kuni, knock him out, we've got enemy inbound."

Before the raven-haired teen could utter a sound, he was forced from the world of consciousness once more.

* * *

**Ch. End**

**(A/N):** So, how ya like the story so far? Was this chapter alright? Leave reviews please! If not, I won't be able to pay Amaterasu-sama... She's scary when you owe her homage, REALLY scary.


	26. Of Mist & Meds

**(A/N):** People, thank you again for reviewing. I'm ecstatic that I've already got so many for the chapter, and some new favs and alerts as well! I hope that this is a pattern that we can continue as we go on from here.

First, I want to send a special thanks to **Phrase Phaser** and **Pandora Vanity** for their input on my earlier chapters. Whenever I have time, I'll go back and overhaul the chapters. Tho, it's reviews like these that make us all better writers.

**CalcBoy91:**I am not at liberty to discuss the inner workings of that matter at the moment, but congrats on looking underneath the underneath.

**Irish Shift:** I can honestly say I don't have any reign on who Nar gets with. Though, step into my office anytime...;P

**Culebra del Sol: **Thank you so very much for that. I try to keep it interesting. Ahem, in regards to Naruto's love life, I believe the answer to your question is one up on Shifty's response.

**_Now, on with the show..._**

* * *

**Ch. 25 Of Mist And Meds**

_Damnit! That duck-ass bastard can really move when he wants to, now where did he go from here?  
_

_An incoming presence brought his thoughts from his missing teammate as he turned to see a figure land behind him. Tensing for an attack, he was allowed to relax when he saw a crop of silver hair.  
_

_"Kakashi, glad to see you. I'm assuming you know what all has happened?"  
_

_A nod was the only response given before a pack of dogs came hurtling overhead, and glancing back to the cyclops only gave him one answer,"Let's get moving."  
_

Thirty minutes of jounin level travel had not been useless, as Kakashi's nin dogs informed him that the boy's scent was increasing in potency and it was straight ahead of them. With a brief thanks, the man dispelled his summons and looked over to his companion. "Naruto. I know that you are stronger than the average genin should be, but please let me handle the situation, whatever it may be."

A shrug came before the teen's reply,"Sure. You're the shinobi in charge, but if it gets bad, I'm intervening."

Coming to a silent agreement, the two ninja continued on, only to come to a large clearing amidst the trees. A clearing in which Sasuke was neither conscious nor alone,"Wow. You guys got here quick, I always figured Konoha was a bit slow on the uptake, but seems I was proven wrong."

The human scarecrow landed in the open area with a sigh, standing he dropped into an offensive stance while drawing a kunai,"What have you done to my student? If any harm has befallen him, your as good as dead."

The two persons were calm at the remark, something that unnerved the one-eyed nin. One stepped forward; mocha skinned with a warrior's physicality, blond hair cut short in a strange fashion, and wearing a purple kimono with golden lightning designs sown into it. The man wore his attire off halfway, and it was held in place by a small shoulder pauldron. Forearm length, metal plated, fingerless gloves adorned both arms as the man carried a simple black katana in hand. The feature that grew the biggest attention however, was the face, sunglasses hid his eyes completely but they didn't hide the two raging lines of scars crossing into an "X" right over his nose.

"You have nothing to fear, Konoha-nin. We were merely asking the boy some questions."

"Then why is he unconscious, if you just wanted to chat?"

"Because he may cause problems if he were awake right now, and we couldn't have that, ne?"

Two sets of eyes glanced towards the other, recently silent ninja. Their attire was rather simple in comparison to their partner, a red vest over a purple skin tight body suit, and a pair of brown Chinese shoes. However, her face was completely hidden behind a kitsune mask, and her reddish-gold hair resembled a small flame as it was tied into a straight ponytail behind her by a small yellow hair ribbon. What was strange though, was that her eyes were literally shining behind the mask, a pair of blazing emeralds within the darkness of her porcelain visage.

Walking to the Uchiha's side, she bent forward and leaned her head on the boys shoulder,"He's sound asleep right now, and by the time we get out of here, he'll be wide awake for you. That is, _if_ you allow us to leave right now." A blade materialized from nowhere, and was placed almost lovingly against the dozing youth's throat. "Otherwise, things may get a little complicated, ne?"

The two shinobi stiffened at the sudden turn of character, yet Naruto smirked at the fox-faced nin and spoke,"I don't think that would be the problem here."

"It'd be that your friend would be fighting all alone, after your dead."

"Eh?" Glancing down, she felt the cool touch of steel against her own throat, and sure enough there was a short sword blade on her. "When did you-"

"A shinobi doesn't reveal their skills, but if you let the teme go, I'll show you just this once."

A consenting nod was his answer, as both let up their weapons simultaneously. The fox-masked nin leapt to her partners side, as the blonde stayed near his teammate, blade already in its sheath. The young shinobi standing by his leader faded into nothing with a pop and a slight cloud of smoke. The two strangers were slightly shocked,"A clone?"

The secret chunin smiled,"Yep. Now, go before I change my mind about letting you walk."

The dark-skinned warrior nodded slightly,"I am Raven, this is Kunimitsu. What are your names?"

Stepping forward, the scarecrow answered,"Kakashi Hatake. This is my pupil, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hn. We will meet again, Hatake-san, Uzumaki-san."

With that, the duo braced themselves to jump, and simply vanished in a blur.

* * *

"Naruto! What the hell were you thinking? They could've killed Sasuke, and all because you were ignorant of my rules."

"If they were going to kill duck-ass, they would've done so before we got there, and vanished like they did. I merely showed that we aren't some weak fools they can drag around using one of our own as a bargaining chip. Besides, it worked, so what's the issue?"

"My issue, is that you disobeyed a direct order, which was to let me handle it!"

"I guess, but did I not tell you that I was going to intervene if it got out of hand? That could've become a blackmail situation had I not moved when I did. They could've taken Sasuke, and forced us to comply to some outrageous act. I stopped that from happening, and now, we at least can continue our mission. When the teme wakes up, he'll tell us what he knows, and then we can prepare for when they come back."

Kakashi was silent as he processed what all was said, it was obvious that his blonde companion had thought this out ahead of time. So, with a grunt the man responded,"Look, just make sure to follow my rules next time alright?"

"Hn. No guarantees on that one...Kaka-sensei."

* * *

"_Raven, Kunimitsu. Report._"

"All is well, she appears to be traveling to Wave country to complete the transfer now. However, she is with a group of other strong shinobi. Should we engage?"

"_No. Observe, and keep close, we will have our opportunity._"

"Hai. Is that all?"

"_For now-wait. Master says he has one other objective. To monitor and engage one, Uzumaki Naruto. Report in when you have detailed information. As always, good luck._"

* * *

Kakashi and Naruto reached the camp in short order, Sasuke awoken during the journey and demanded to be put down. The idea was shot though, when Naruto stated that they had no clue whether or not he was injured internally, and any that they should wait til Kurenai checks him out since they were already 3/4ths of the way there. Begrudgingly, the raven-haired teen kept quiet.

"Kurenai, I need you to do a quick medical scan, and I believe you've also spoken with Tazuna correct?"

The ruby-eyed woman nodded,"Yes. His reasons were...admirable in hindsight, but the decision is yours. Continue with the mission or go back?"

"We've no choice really. Besides, if there are enemy shinobi involved, we don't know if they will allow you all to pass. Even though you aren't guarding Tazuna-san, who's to say they won't attack for the simple fact that you are Konoha shinobi. So, I suggest that we all stick together, at least until we reach the other side. Agreed?"

"It's not my call, Sakura's the client. If we do go with this, we'll just have to rush a bit to get Sakura to her destination in time, nothing she or we can't handle. However, that's if she agrees."

"Alright. Sakura, could you come here for minute?"

* * *

Sakura's group departed in a flurry of leaves, as they ran ahead. Eager to make up for lost time, the others decided to begin their journey as well. By the time they got to the dock Tazuna had described, two hours would have passed, plenty of time for the helmsmen to make it back to them after his trip with Sakura. Tazuna, reflecting on Sakura's words, decided to voice his uneasy question.

"So, why are you all staying with me? You could've let me go on my own."

Naruto was the one to respond saying,"Simple. The hokage figured you were lying, but decided to go ahead with this mission anyway, because with the bridge operational it'll bolster our lands trade services a lot quicker than trying the unsafe method of carrying across boats. That, and I don't believe in allowing a corrupt bastard like Gatou to just do whatever he wants to a village..especially if what you say he's been doing to women is true."

"I..I see."

The travels proceeded quietly from then on, nobody was really focused, as each had their own thoughts elsewhere.

"Tazuna look out!"

The man felt himself pushed aside, and in his fall, he turned and saw a speeding piece of metal soar through the space he had been standing in only seconds before. His eyes widened in disbelief, that really was meant for him, he could have died!

"Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto cover him! Mei, on me. Whoever you are, come out now!"

In a flash of motion, two bodies appeared, and instantly Sasuke was on guard. "You two again!"

Raven and Kunimitsu were there, directly in front of their path. "We aren't here for you, Uchiha-san. Not this time."

The scarred man stepped forward, brandishing his weapon,"We're here for Uzumaki-san."

* * *

Trees rattled as shadows danced within the canopy, leaves falling all the while in sporadic tangents. Slowly, as their travels continued, a thick mist rolled in blocking their view from even the branches before them. Dropping down, dust billowed as the shinobi of team 8 landed in crouches. "We're making good time, but who would've guessed Wave had such thick mist."

"Sensei, this is the first time I've ever seen mist this heavy while I've been here."

This statement drew the attention of the squad, as everyone tensed, senses fanning out. Kiba was the first to speak on his findings,"This mist. There's chakra laced all throughout it, I can't smell where it's coming from directly."

Sakura and Kurenai's senses screamed at them in warning, and they simultaneously shouted while tackling their teammates,"Everybody down!"

Not even half a second later, an enormous blade came singing overhead, right in line to behead each of them had they remained standing. The sword's trajectory landed it in the trunk of a large tree, and a figure instantly fazed into being on top of the handle in a display of perfect balance. As the jounin got a better look at the man, her eyes widened in amazement, and fear.

"Zabuza Momochi. The Demon of the Mist. A-rank missing-nin. Known as a master of the silent killing style, and one of Kiri's 7 swordsmen of the mist. What are you doing here?"

"Heh, good to know my reputation proceeds me. Yuuhi Kurenai, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress. I was here for the bridge builder, and seeing as you don't have him with you, I was gonna let you go. But, ya see, I've always wanted to fight a genjutsu user. Just to see how well they fight blind, and too bad for you, it's my lucky day."

Kurenai pulled a kunai as she watched Zabuza flip down from the tree, and pulling his sword with him. The man was tall, easily above 6 ft with ashen black hair that stood spiked, his face covered in bandages. He wore no shirt, revealing a definitely toned midsection, and wore arm-warmers on his wrists that matched his pants in their grey and white camouflaged design. His Kiri headband atop his forehead, held a long and deep gash across it, marking him as a nuke-nin.

The woman stood defiant, determined to protect her students, until a hand found its way onto her shoulder. Glancing swiftly over her shoulder, she noticed it was Sakura standing there,"Sakura, get back. I-"

"I'll fight him."

* * *

**#Owari#**

**(A/N):**Uh-oh! Sakura against Zabuza? If someone can tell me who the ppl Naruto are fighting come from, you get a gummy worm, or a sneak peek at what I have planned down the road. Come one people, Review! I need them so I can keep my healthy diet going. Ja'ne.


	27. Confrontation

**(A/N):** Congratulations to **Yukicrewger2** for figuring out my question, I hope that gummy worm is good to you! **CalcBoy91** Again, thanks for all you reviews and help to me and my writing. Finally, Thanks to **Jiopaba** for your review as well. And so, we carry on.

* * *

**Ch. 26 Confrontation  
**

Kurenai was shocked, her student, a _genin_ (even if above average skill and power) was requesting to fight a jounin missing-nin. 'She's not in her right mind...there's no way she'd even be able to handle an opponent of this level.'

Just as she was going to voice her opinion, she was interrupted,"Look sensei. You're not prepared to fight this type of enemy. The fact of the matter is that with this mist up, you will be fighting blind, that and since it's laced with his chakra...you'd have to push twice as much chakra into your techniques for them to even reach his system. That doesn't even guarantee a solid hold that can't break instantly, as such you'd suffer from chakra exhaustion long before this fight ended and I'd be stuck facing him anyway to make sure" Pointing a dainty finger towards her two teammates,"these two are safe. At least, this way, if I fail we can have him tired and have a jounin looking out for any extra attacks from outside forces."

Walking forward, she pulled a crimson piece of cloth from her clothes, her hitai-ate, and tied the article onto her throat."Besides, my reserves and skillset is much more suited to this type of fighting. Plus, Tenrou is singing for a little blood right now."

Zabuza was slightly perplexed at her statement,'Why does that name sound familiar?'

Reaching a close distance with Zabuza, she slid into a ready stance. Hand ever so gently touching the handle of her blade,"Momochi Zabuza, I want you to remember well this fight. As it is the first time in centuries that Tenrou has been wielded by a Mibu in combat."

"Mibu!"

With widening eyes, all present watched in captivating awe as the girl pulled her weapon from its sheathe...

* * *

"Naruto..."

"It's alright, I wasn't expecting them to retaliate so soon, but I can't say I'm surprised." Unraveling a scroll, the blonde summoned his daisho and set them at their place on his left hip."I want no interference, from any of you. Also, I wish to warn you two..If either of you don't intend to kill me, walk away now. This is your first and last warning."

* * *

The world seemed to darken around them as the pinkette completed her elegant action, chakra and ki bled through into visible proportions of amber coloring. Gravity seemed to palpably double its push against those present as the world contorted into visual static while the kunoichi's own visage changed...

Slowly, pink converted to silver, and then black. All the while, only two bangs of pink were what remained of the old her. Bright jade eyes gave way to malicious red orbs as she stared evilly at the man before her. Blade ringing with the pitch of a death knoll as it was raised from scabbard to air right beside her face. Her transformation was, shocking to say the least.

'Th-this..feeling? This is Sakura? It's so intense, just what the hell happened to her, she smells like a completely different person?'

'I can't believe it, this gaki actually has stronger killing intent than I do. Then again, I thought the Mibu were wiped out too. This is gonna be fun!'

'Sakura...she was trained by Naruto. This dark chakra is so similar to his, yet, lesser to an extent. I will have to observe this more closely later.'

'Was she holding back in the tournament? Why didn't she use this against Mei, it reminds me of the Kyuubi's chakra to a degree, just weaker. What kind of summon grants this kind of power to its wielder?'

"_Well, Zabuza, shall we dance?_"

* * *

"Uzumaki-san, I'm afraid leaving is not an available option at the moment."

With a slight grunt, the youth grabbed the hilt of his wakizashi,"Fine. You're funeral."

Sasuke interjected,"Wait, I thought you were after Sakura? Why the sudden interest in the dobe?"

It was the fox-masked one who spoke first,"What's it to ya, Uchiha-kun? A little jealous we aren't sharing you? That's so cute."

A growl from the boy told his rage at the statement, until his sensei put a hand on his shoulder,"Don't let them goad you, and what's this about them wanting Sakura?"

Raven spoke then,"He was supposed to pass along a message, but it seems he did not accomplish his task. In any case, our priority now is Uzumaki-san here."

Closing his eyes, the genin in disguise drew his sword,"Do me a favor, at least make this interesting."

* * *

The screech of metal on metal was agonizingly loud as it rang out in the clearing. Sparks danced wildly during each clash, and the glee both warriors experienced was akin to visible ecstasy. Every swing, parry, and close call bringing them closer together and deeper into the tides of battle. The others were entranced by the display before them.**  
**

"_**Hiden Ninpo:Shizuka Suiga**_"

Suddenly the mist cleared, and now, all was clear to be scene. The place was a warzone, chunks of earth torn from the ground, slices of all sorts littering the place and nearby trees, but what really surprised everyone was the state of the fighters themselves. Sakura was fine, a little worse for wear, but alive. Zabuza was fine too, though he was ruffed up a bit as well, and wearing an expression of absolute shock.

"W-what? What did you do you?"

Sheathing her katana, the newly-minted Mibu, smirked. Charging forward, she lunged with a high vertical snap kick that was sidestepped by the swordsman, and she avoided a heavy mule kick aimed at her head. A back-handspring bought her little breathing room as Zabuza was hot on her heels with a downward swing of his sword. As soon as she landed, she tucked into an aerial to dodge the slice, but she could feel the wind from the blade as it smashed into the place she once was. Her right leg retaliated with a flying reverse roundhouse, which was blocked by the forearm of her target, but while drawing her sword again she used her remaining momentum to roll into a rising upswing.

"**_Kenton:Kirikawa!_**"

Zabuza blinked, and was immediately ripped apart, into a pool of muddied water.

'_Damn, Mizu Bunshin. Guess fighting him on his terms isn't gonna cut it._'

"I gotta say, I'm enjoying myself gaki. Didn't think anyone your age could still have what it takes to be called a ninja anymore, with that last jutsu you used, guess I should take the kiddy gloves off now huh?"

Turning to face him, the black-haired Mibu gave a animalistic grin."_By all means, I'm having a blast right now!_"

"Alright, **Suiton:Suiryudan no jutsu!**"

Flinging shuriken, she watch the man in front of her fade into a puddle as a giant dragon of water rippled up from the lake a few feet off to her right. Quickly whipping through seals, she replaced herself with a sliced branch a distance away, and was once more on the move as metal knives flew towards her frame. Normally, blocking was the sound option right? Well, not when the burning tail of an explosive note is right in your face. Leaping away, she landed in a sliding crouch on the surface of the lake, but her instincts screamed something was terribly wrong.

'_Why does the water feel heavy?_'

"Got ya now, Mibu."

'_Kuso!_'

* * *

Three blurs were all that could be seen, brief flashes of sparks, sounds of metal protesting against another as a draw would occur...

It was awe-inspiring.

'So fast...It's almost as if I were watching Gai fight full out again. Impressive.'

Three orbs of crimson flashed about in the midst of the battle, Sharingan eyes racing to try and gleam anything of use or interest from those engaging one another. One set in particular spun rapidly, a touch of jealous rage present at its latest findings.

'Nothing! How in the world can my eyes see nothing? Are they moving too fast for even the sharingan to copy? Or maybe...no, there's no way that I'm not strong enough yet. Is there?'

Suddenly, all three individuals broke apart, each in a different level of wariness.

"I'm surprised, I didn't think you'd pose that much of a challenge, guess I was wrong. Won't make that mistake again, dattebayo."

"Raven." The dark-skinned male placed his blade back into its sheathe as he held out a palm, "Wait. We've already learned what we need to, we'll be in touch, Uzumaki-san."

"What? You mean this was some sort of test? Are you kidding me?"

Reaching for his other weapon the blonde youth made a straight charge,"You bastards!"

Yet, before he could cross even half the distance, they faded out from view. Leaves falling gracefully in their wake. "Tch. When I see them again...There's gonna be hell to pay."

* * *

**Ch. End**

**(A/N):** So, how ya like the story so far? Was this chapter alright? Leave reviews please! If not, Amaterasu-sama...she'll use her flames...on you!

**Jutsu List**

Hiden Ninpo:Shizuka Suiga- Hidden Ninja Art:Silent Water Fang. C-A Rank. Supplementary. As its name suggests, it is a water technique so swift that no sound is produced from its use. Originally, it was a move that drew upon any chakra in the immediate vicinity and converted it to a water element within a container of the users choice. It was enacted by drawing chakra in a spiraling pattern opposite of the user, a skill not often utilized in the shinobi world, doing this not only cancelled out opposing jutsu but it reversed the expelled chakra into a weapon for the jutsu user to conserve their own. The more chakra available the deadlier the technique itself becomes, seeing as if used correctly, one could drain an opponent of every bit of their chakra.

This jutsu has drawbacks, if one uses a lightning affinity, the chakra won't be converted over to water. And, if the target has the same flow of chakra as the user, the jutsu doesn't do more than serve as a temporary shield against a single technique. It is based solely off an individual's skill, so until one is of a certain level, it can't be used against more than one enemy jutsu at a time leaving oneself vulnerable to counter attack or ambush while using this technique.

Kenton:Kirikawa- Sword Release:Mist River. B-Rank. Offensive. A water based technique used in conjunction with the Shizuka Suiga. Using the absorbed water chakra, the user compacts it repeatedly into a stream of barely visible water particles. Its effect could be compared to that of a shotgun at point blank, with a piercing power strong enough to rival that of the Raikiri potentially.

Again, this is not a perfect move. Lightning techniques would be a sufficient counter since it has more cutting power naturally, as well as the ability to disrupt the water particles themselves, making the techniques no more than a heavy splash of water. Wind could also be used to redirect or outright scatter the jutsu, since it is most effective as a mass or in this case a mist, something easily blown away in the presence of a strong wind.

Suiton:Suiryudan no jutsu- Water Realease:Water Dragon Bullet. B-Rank. Offensive. Another jutsu of watery origin, this move creates a dragon of pure water to buffet the enemy. The size and strength of the dragon is based solely on the user's skill, though, it could also be used as a decoy in certain instances.


End file.
